Redemption
by TheIllusiveMrJamison
Summary: After an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, the Konoha 11 and their allies, as well as some old foes set out to stop the villain and his group of reanimated shinobi. The story will focus on Shikamaru and Temari, but it is an ensemble story. I have changed some of the canon, not too much but enough. Originally called Righting a Wrong. Rated M for language and suggestive themes
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Naruto.**

Chapter 1: Familiar Faces

Gaara of the Desert walked across the barren wasteland, almost aimlessly. The sun mercilessly shone on the earth, and the air shimmered in the heat, but the Fifth Kazekage didn't feel it. He had grown up here, and became accustomed to the temperature. _I wonder how Temari is handingly the cold in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. After my assignment is over, I should visit her._ It was winter elsewhere in the world, but for the Village Hidden in the Sand, there was no change in the heat. It kept coming down in harsh barrages, baking the land beneath it, only to be soothed by the cool nights. It had been a while since the Kazekage had seen his older sister and her family. Gaara walked a little bit faster, the thought of seeing family again quickening his steps. He looked around and didn't see his bodyguards anywhere. _I've fooled them._ Gaara understood their jobs, but he liked traveling alone. There was something about having other people travel with him. He didn't know what it was, but Gaara didn't enjoy it. He liked the quiet, with the only sound for miles being his gourd sometimes clanking about the buckle of his sash, or the odd animal that happened to cross his path. Eventually, the sand gave way to the occasional shrubbery, and then grasses, and before he knew it, Gaara had found himself in a large, grassy plain. He saw a row of huts in the distance, and the smoke that rose from them. He took a second look at the smoke, noting that it was black, and besides that, it was too large even for a festival. He jogged to the village, and saw that many of the huts were destroyed, and those that were still standing were burning or had sustained heavy damage. Gaara saw something move inside one of the few huts still standing, and he walked inside. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, a sliver of steel flew at his head. The sand immediately jumped forward and caught the sword before it connected with the Kazekage's forehead. The man who swung it was wearing a blue tunic and he was a middle-aged man. He was trying to get the sword out of the sand.

"Get the hell away from us! You already took all you can! Leave my family alone!" Gaara released the man's sword.

"Sir, I'm not here to harm you. I'm the -" Gaara watched as the sand caught the blade again, this time it was aimed for his stomach. The old Gaara would have buried the man in sand and then crushed him into oblivion. Instead, Gaara, only gripped the sword with his sand and yanked it away.

"As I was saying, I'm the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand. I'm not here to hurt you. Now please, tell me. What happened here?" The man cowered in the corner, and looked into Gaara's eyes with fear. _I know that look. People used to look at me and cower often. But no longer._ He slowly approached the man and knelt down.

"I won't harm you or your family. Please, let me help. Who did this?" The man looked at Gaara, and then slowly relaxed.

"A group of powerful ninja. They were destroying everything. They took everything of value, and then just started killing people. They were led by a man with white hair. He held lightning in his hand and had a bandana over his left eye." Gaara was shocked. _It can't be Kakashi. The Sixth Hokage wouldn't just destroy a village like this._ But the more he thought about it, the more it seem likely that the Copy Ninja was the culprit. _His Lightning Blade, the white spiked hair, and his eye being covered. But he would have worn the forehead protector of the Hidden Leaf Village._ Gaara decided to think on it later. Right now, these people needed his help. He extended his hand to the man, who took it and stood up.

"Gather everyone who is alive, and then head west. Eventually, you'll come across a Hidden Sand outpost. Hand the guards this." Gaara handed him a card that had the mark of the Kazekage.

"They will take care of you. You and your fellow villagers are safe now." The man went to a door and opened it. Two women, one old and one younger, and two children, a girl and a boy stepped out. Gaara walked the man and his family outside. He heard something clinking, and turned around to watch as the Crow descended from the building.

"Gaara! Get down!" Kankuro readied his puppet to strike, but a barrier of sand prevented it from moving anymore.

"Brother, these people need our help. They aren't enemies." Kankuro leapt from the building, and walked to his younger sibling.

"What are you doing? We lost you in that sandstorm! You know you aren't supposed to leave our sight. It took everything I had just to track you down!" Gaara had summoned a sandstorm to prevent his bodyguards from following.

"Kankuro, I need you to take these people back to our village. They could use some protection. I can handle myself, I don't need the bodyguards. The sand will protect me."  
"I'm not leaving you again. I'm going where you're going. I'm your brother, and I'm not letting you head to the Hidden Leaf Village alone."

"I am your Lord Kazekage, and you will do as I say." Kankuro realized there was no changing Gaara's mind. You could argue with your brother, but you can't argue with your Kazekage.

"Fine. I'll take them back. But you better send word that you got there safely as soon as you get there."

"Fine brother." Gaara headed back out into the plains.

"Tell sis I said hi!" The Kazekage walked until the village disappeared from view. He entered the forest, and watched as different animals scurried around. He began thinking about the ninja who attacked the village. _Could it have been Kakashi? No. It's not possible._ Gaara felt the need to tell the Sixth Hokage about it when he arrived at the Hidden Leaf Village. _Another assignment added to this. As if I didn't have enough to do anyway._ Gaara walked deeper into the forest, but he felt the sense of someone following him. After a few minutes of waiting for them to go down another path, he was sure that they weren't just traveling. He stopped and turned. No one was there, but there was a voice. A very similar voice.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the great Fifth Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand." There was no mistaking it. It was Kakashi's voice. Gaara didn't drop his guard though.

"Lord Hokage, come into view so we can talk. I have a message to deliver from the Hidden Sand Village." The Jonin dropped from the trees, and Gaara saw Kakashi dust himself off.

"What is this message? Did something happen?"

"Yes, but it has nothing to do with my message. There is a problem. A village was destroyed about seventeen miles northwest of here was destroyed. And from what people have told me, they believe it was you who destroyed the village, Kakashi. If it was you, please tell me why you did it, and why I wasn't informed of this decision because the village lies on the border between our villages." Kakashi looked at Gaara, and sighed.

"What made them think I did it?"

"They gave a description that was spot on, down to the lightning in your hand, and your white hair, and your left eye being covered. Was it you?" Kakashi sighed and reached up to his forehead protector, which Gaara noticed for the first time that it had no markings on it. The Kazekage readied himself for battle, and watched as the Hokage lifted it up. There was no sharingan though. His left eye was normal.

"Two things. First, yes it was me. I destroyed that village. Second, I am not Kakashi Hatake. I am much more powerful." The cork in the gourd was forced off and the sand inside began pooling at Gaara's feet. The white haired ninja dropped his right arm and grabbed the wrist with his left. Suddenly a ball of chakra appeared in his hand.

"Lightning Dagger!" Gaara prepared himself for a fight. He threw his hands forward and the sand leapt forward. The other shinobi dodged and evaded, and then he did something unexpected: he threw the Chidori at Gaara. Some sand came forward and blocked the blast, or it at least attempted to. The Chidori seemed to phase through the sand, and Gaara had to duck or else he would have been struck in the head. He saw the other shinobi with _two_ Chidori, one in each hand. And he was laughing.

"Is this all the Kazekage of the Sand has to offer? Is that all?" Blast after blast struck the forest, and Gaara found himself on the defense. But he had a trick up his sleeve. Or more correctly, it was about to be up this mysterious stranger's sleeve. Gaara threw both his hands up, and a column of sand erupted from underneath the man. It launched him into the air, and that's when Gaara stopped being surprised and started to expect this man could do anything. The man drove his hands down, and the sand seemed to flow out of the way, as if he was parting an ocean made of sand. He landed on the ground, and smirked.

"As much as I love playing this game with you, I have better things to do. My friends will be able to take care of you. I'm sure you recognize some of them." The ninja snapped his fingers, and a few people came out of the shadows. Gaara immediately recognized the white haired one.

"Kimimaro." He saw another one, a man with bandages over his face, and spiky brown hair. A shorter man was next to him, wearing a tracker-nin mask from the Village Hidden in the Mist. On the right side, was a tall dark skinned man, with stitches all over his arms and a mask over his mouth and nose. The final one, was a girl. She looked to be about twenty or so. She could easily have been a child. She wore a green flak jacket, and two purple streaks down her face. She looked out of place with the others. The others were killers, but the girl didn't belong. The other four didn't hesitate to attack. Gaara fought valiantly, but it happened too fast, and he wasn't able to fend all of them. The ninja watched from a distance as the Kazekage was slowly defeated and kneeled before the bloodied man. He dropped a book next to him.

"When you get to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, give this to the Sixth Hokage. He'll be excited to know I finally got him his birthday gift."

 **Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thank you for reading and giving this story a chance. Please review, that way we'll know what you guys like, what you don't like, and how to make our stories better! Also, special giveaway! A plot request goes to the first person to correctly guess who the four ninja are that are with this duel-wielding Chidori Shinobi and Kimimaro! Plot requests are a way for you to decide what can happen in the story! The only time I deny a plot request is if it will drastically change the plot. And if I deny it, I'll let you know and you can ask for something else. So enjoy the giveaway, and take care everybody!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Naruto. I wish I did…**

Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

Shikamaru Nara waited outside the Hidden Leaf Village Academy. He looked up at the sky, which was a series of oranges and pinks, colored by the setting sun. There were a few clouds, and he decided to lay on his back and watch them float by. He closed his eyes to rest a bit, because his mission was really strenuous. A few seconds later, he felt someone shaking his arm.

"Daddy, wake up! Come on, lazy!" Shikamaru opened his eyes to see his seven years old daughter shaking his shoulder. He jumped up and picked her, swinging her around.

"How were your classes little one?" His daughter stuck out her lower lip as she pouted.

"I know everything Iruka Sensei tells us. The lessons are boring. It's not a lot of fun." Shikamaru laughed. _She's just like me._

"Are you doing what you're supposed to be doing in class?" Shikami nodded her head and held her father's hand as they walked home. By the time they got home, the sun had gone down and the sky was dark. Shikami walked up the front porch steps before her father stopped her. He knelt down to his daughter's level.

"So here's the plan. Mommy isn't expecting me, so I'm going to open the door and catch her in my Shadow Possession Jutsu. Then you go and tackle her. Okay?" His daughter eagerly nodded her head, and then Shikamaru stood up. He put his hand on the door, and then opened it.  
"Go!" Shikamaru performed the jutsu, and felt his shadow connect with his wife's shadow. She couldn't move, so she fell down when Shikami tackled her. Or rather, the log fell down. Suddenly, Shikamaru fell over as the gust of wind took him down. He flipped over to get up, but felt someone put a kunai to his throat. Temari smiled as she looked at her husband.

"Look who's home from his mission." Shikamaru slowly raised up his hands in mock surrender.

"Mommy, that's not fair! You waited for us! You were supposed to be surprised!" Temari smiled and after walking to her daughter, hugged her. The little girl squirmed, but then hugged her mother back. The sand ninja released her and looked her in the eye.

"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll be surprised. I promise." Shikami didn't look convinced.

"You say that every time." Shikamaru stood up and his wife saw the smirk on his face. Her smile immediately left.

"She's right. You do say that every time." Temari looked at her husband and she couldn't keep her frown for long.

"Is dad home?" Shikamaru heard his son shout from upstairs. He looked at the blonde kunoichi, and grimaced. Temari had a look of annoyance on her face.

"Shikadai! What have I told you about yelling in the house?!" Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes. _She must know she's breaking her own rules. Aw well. That's one of the many things I love about her_.

"And get down here and say hello to your father! He just got back from his mission!" Shikamaru heard his son come running down the stairs, and he knew his wife was going to scold him for that too. Temari was just as harsh on the battlefield as she was a mother. Shikamaru watched his son turn the corner and looked at him. Shikadai looked like his father, almost identical to a younger Shikamaru. The teenager saw the look on his mother's face, and knew what was coming.

"Shikadai, what have I told you about running down the stairs?"

"Sorry, mom."

"What have I told you?"

"That I need to stop doing that."

"So why do you keep doing it?"

"Because I'm so excited to see dad." Shikamaru laughed at that.

"Is that because you feel really lucky you're still alive after two weeks of having mom take care of you?" He then turned to his wife, and smiled.

"I say we let it slide. That was a pretty smart response. What do you say love?" Temari rolled her eyes, and then walked into the kitchen to help her daughter make dinner. Shikadai walked over to his father.

"Dad, how did you end up marrying such a crabby woman like mom?" Shikamaru had to hold in the laugh as he remembered the exact same conversation he had with his father.

"She has her moments." Shikadai rolled his eyes, and walked into the kitchen. His mother walked out, and as she passed her son, she ruffled his hair. He pushed her hand away, and walked into the kitchen trying to fix his hair. Temari walked to her husband and stared lovingly into his eyes. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. She rested her head against his chest.

"How did the mission go?" Shikamaru rested his head on top of his wife's.

"It went pretty well. It turned out to be a hoax. The Bloody Mist Clan is a fake. It's was a series of realistic genjutsu. It was one guy robbing villages and claiming to be a group of deadly Mist Village ninja."

"What happened?" Temari looked at her husband, and saw the glare in his eye. She knew what happened. The man had to die.

"When Shikadai walked by, I smelled something different. Is he wearing cologne?" Temari knew from the way her husband changed the subject that Shikamaru was the one to do it.

"He is. There is some girl he's trying to impress." Shikamaru realized something.

"Is that my cologne?" Temari nodded.

"I need to find him something new. I'll take him shopping for some tomorrow. Find him something that can be just his. Because I'll never be able to wear it again."

"Choji was on your squad right?" Shikamaru nodded. He looked at his wife, and his smile transformed into a grimace. _Aw, crap._

"I saw Choji back in the village this morning! What took you so long to get home?" She smacked his shoulder, and Shikamaru winced. _She hasn't lost any of that strength of hers._

"When did you get back to the village?!"

"Hey, mom, what vegetables are we supposed to make for dinner again?" Shikadai walked into the living room to see his father rubbing his arm, and his mother's hands on her hips, with an angered look on her face. Shikamaru turned to his son and smiled.

"Shikadai, remember how I told you mom has her moments? This is one of the reasons that I love her. When you get married, remember this little trick." Shikamaru reached over and cupped the side of his wife's face. Shikadai had never seen his father use a jutsu on his mother that would actually hurt her, but when his hand touched Temari's cheek, she had a look of worry on her face.

"Don't you dare. I'm mad at you."

"I know. This stops that if I remember properly." Temari felt his hand rub the side of her face, and she didn't know what made it happen. Maybe it was the protective feeling she felt when he did it, maybe it was the feeling of love she got from it, but whatever it was, it worked. She felt herself getting less mad at him, and she didn't even remember what she was mad at him for. _Every single time this happens. I'm a powerful shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Sand, brother of the current Kazekage, and daughter of the previous. What is so special about this man?_ Temari knew the answer already. She stopped trying to fight it and kissed him. He kissed her back. Both would have been ecstatic to remain like this forever, but they were interrupted by their teenage son's groan of disgust.

"Seriously. Get a room. It's upstairs. It's not even that far." He walked back into the kitchen.

"You still mad at me?" Temari shook her head, and returned to his arms.

"I have to help the kids make dinner. Are you going to take a shower?"

"Yeah. I am." Shikamaru kissed her forehead, and then stepped away.

"Wait." Temari kissed her husband intensely, and Shikamaru felt her hand rise in between his legs. She leaned up and whispered in his ear.

"That's a little preview of later on." She leaned down and walked to the kitchen. Shikamaru watched her walk away, her hips swaying dramatically. She knew he was watching and she wanted him to enjoy the view. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. As he walked up the stairs, he simply thought to himself, _Troublesome._

 _xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Shikamaru kissed his daughter's forehead, and walked away.

"Good night daddy."

"Good night little one." Shikamaru closed the door, and walked into the living room. Temari was sitting on the couch, reading a book. When she saw her husband, she set the novel down, and smiled. Shikamaru stood at the other end of the room, and leaned against the wall.

"You know, I missed you so much while I was gone." Before she could say anything, her love had crossed the room, and put his hand on her cheek as he kissed her. She instinctively pulled him closer, but stopped. As much as he wanted her, Shikamaru respected her decision.

"Are you okay?" Temari smiled, and nodded.

"I'm going to take a shower, and then we can have some fun." She stood up and began to walk upstairs. Shikamaru pulled her back to him, and started kissing her neck.

"Do you want me in there with you?" Temari stepped away, and pushed her husband onto the couch. She sat on his lap, and kissed him.

"No. I want you to sit here, and not move. If you do, then you get nothing later. Understood?" Shikamaru nodded, and Temari headed to the master bathroom. Shikamaru thought about what Shikadai had said at dinner. _I need to buy him some new cologne, because he can't be using mine._ He picked up the book Temari was reading, and decided to pick up where she left off. He smirked. It was a guide on how to be a better shogi player. _I love her so much._ He heard a knock at the door, and wondered if Temari would punish him for answering the door. _She probably would._ But that what made it worthwhile. He had to work to get what he wanted. Shikamaru stood up and walked through the kitchen, and opened the door. He immediately caught his brother-in-law's bloody body, and carried him into the kitchen. He turned on the light and examined Gaara.

"Shika-Shikamaru. Where is my sister?" _Even when he looked like he'd been through the ringer, he asked about Temari._

"She's taking a shower. I'll get her for you."

"No. I need your help. When she comes down here, she'll find out. Close the blinds." Shikamaru nodded and began shutting the windows.

"Where's Kankuro? And the rest of the bodyguard team?"

"I ditched them soon after I left the village. I like traveling alone. It seems like that'll never happen again though."

"What happened to you?" Shikamaru grabbed the first aid kit he kept in the house from under the sink and began trying to heal his brother-in-law.

"I was attacked. By a ninja who looks very similar to the Sixth Hokage. He wielded the Chidori, but it wasn't Kakashi. And he had friends. I couldn't fight all of them." Shikamaru nodded, and grabbed a scroll off the counter. He bit his thumb and placed it on the seal. A weasel wearing an eye patch appeared.

"Get to the hospital. Find Sakura and Ino and get them here as soon as possible. The Kazekage is hurt. Go now." The weasel nodded and sprinted out the door. Shikamaru looked back at his brother-in-law. He had passed out on the table. Shikamaru got up to make sure he was okay, and began stitching him up. He wasn't the best medic, but dammit, he was going to give it his best.

Temari turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed the towel and dried herself. She opened the door slowly, and checked to make sure that Shikamaru wasn't waiting in the shadows of their bedroom. When she was sure he wasn't there, she stepped out and began to get dressed. She went with very little, considering that she was hoping it would be on the floor after a few minutes. She picked out a pair of heels that she knew Shikamaru liked, and then walked out of their room and headed downstairs. She wrapped the robe around her body tighter, because it was cold. The air conditioning was on. _But we left the windows open._ She walked into the living room, and saw that Shikamaru wasn't on the couch. _Why can't he behave? Doesn't he know that I need this as much as he does?_ That's when she saw the kitchen light on. And judging from the shadows, Shikamaru was in there. Temari opened the robe slightly and walked in. That's when she smelled the smoke. Shikamaru was smoking in the house again. He had quit so many years ago, but she knew he had some occasionally. She used to get mad at him for it, but she learned over time he only did it when he was really nervous or scared. She walked over to him and gave him a hug from behind. He flinched, almost like he was scared. That concerned Temari.

"What's wrong baby? Are you…" And that's when she saw her brother on the table, unconscious and bloody.

"Gaara!" She jumped forward and went to checking on him. Shikamaru had put the cigarette out and he quickly pulled his wife away.

"Don't. I tried to stitch him up. I've stopped the bleeding temporarily, but they're not good. We don't want to open the wounds. I've sent Kamatari to Sakura so she can help us." Despite being her summoning jutsu, Kamatari had taken a liking to Shikamaru. Temari swore that he fed the weasel snacks when she wasn't looking. Shikamaru was his favorite. _I should have never taught him how to summon the rodent._ Shikamaru took her in his arms and kissed her. He hugged her, and felt her start to cry. He backed up and wiped away the first few tears.

"Baby. As good as you look right now, I think you should go get dressed. I'll come and get you if he wakes up. Okay?" Temari nodded, and then headed upstairs. Just as she got to the door of her and Shikamaru's bedroom, she heard the next door open. A very sleepy Shikami walked out, rubbing her eyes with her stuffed deer in her hands.

"Mommy? What's going on?" Temari quickly knelt down and hugged her daughter.

"Nothing, sweetie. Mommy just...saw a mouse and it startled her. Daddy is taking care of it." The little girl was no longer paying attention, because she had already fallen back asleep. Temari picked her up and carried her back to bed. After making sure that she was asleep, Temari hurried back into her room and got dressed. Once she got back downstairs, she found Sakura in their house. _That girl is quiet._ She was operating on Gaara, who was flinching and groaning. She could see the sweat on the other girl's forehead. Something was wrong.

"Shikamaru, I need you to go tell Ino that we are moving. He's been poisoned. I can't operate here. We need him to get to the hospital now." Shikamaru nodded, and ran outside.

"Temari, I need you to help me lift him. We have to be gentle, we don't want the stitches to fall out." Both kunoichi picked up an arm and gently lifted Gaara off of the table. He groaned in pain and they both slowed their motions.

"Your husband needs to learn how to stitch someone up. This is pathetic. I thought he was a genius."

"Me too. Imagine my surprise once I married him."

"Thanks for the support there love." Shikamaru held the door open for the two girls, and he and Ino followed.

"Dad?" Shikamaru turned around and found Shikadai on the roof.

"What are you doing out of bed?"  
"I was looking at clouds. Then I heard the commotion. What's going on?" Shikamaru sighed and tried to find a way to break it to his son.

"Your uncle Gaara was attacked and poisoned. We have to take him to the hospital."

"I'll go get Shikami and we'll go with you."

"No. She has school tomorrow, and you have training with your squad." Shikamaru motioned for his son to join him. He put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"You've been talking about being responsible and how your mother and I don't give you enough chances to be your own man. Here's your chance. Take care of your sister, and make sure you guys are on time tomorrow. I'll check in with you guys tomorrow for lunch. Shikadai, please don't fail me." Shikadai nodded, and saluted his father.

"I've got your back dad. Take care of uncle Gaara."

 **Hello all! I am reposting this story because I wanted to edit it. I'll be honest, both Crazy and myself had a lot done, but we started to rewrite it because we wanted it to get better. And now it's back. I really hope you guys enjoy the story. I hope I didn't make Temari seem too out of character. I'm working on that kinda stuff. Anyway, enjoy and take care everybody!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! And welcome to the next chapter of Redemption! Before we get started, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who had read this story, and the others that Crazysychoninja and myself have written. He is updating a companion series to this entitled "My New Family." It is a series of oneshots about the Nara family who have a new member living in their house with them. Some scenes will be canon to the world that we've created, and others will not be. So I ask that you go and read that as well!**

 **Also, as 2/9/17, no one has yet to complete the plot request giveaway! (I really should find a better name for it.) If you can guess who the four reanimated ninja in the first chapter are, you win the special honor of a plot request! This means that unless it will heavily change the storyline, what you want to happen in the story will happen! And if I deny it because of how drastically it will change the storyline, then I'll inform you and you can ask for something else! Either put it in the reviews, or PM me! Back to the story! Enjoy, and take care everybody!**

 **I don't own Naruto, neither does Crazy…It's kinda sad actually…**

Chapter 3: A Day in the Life

Shikamaru slowly stretched and groaned, keeping his eyes shut. At some point, the night had turned to day, and the room had gotten brighter. He felt like he didn't any sleep last night. He was up at night reading reports, and trying to figure out where the enemy could have come from. The Anbu Black ops squad had tried to track the ninja in the forest, but they had no luck. Whoever attacked the Kazekage hid their trail pretty well. Shikamaru had gotten home late last night from his patrol, to find his wife not home. It had been two days since her brother was admitted to the hospital, and he hadn't woken up yet. Temari was probably sitting by his side and not leaving. Shikamaru opened his eyes, and looked at his alarm clock. It was 8:17. _Shit! I have a patrol with Naruto in an hour! Why didn't my alarm go off?_ He forced himself to get up, but laid back down when a pair of hands gently set him back.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Shikamaru looked at his wife, who was already dressed. She was staring at him with only love in her eyes. _She looks exhausted._

"Did you get any sleep?"

"I slept at the hospital a bit, and then I came home to get the kids out the door. I have some shopping to do today, so I was going to do that, and then go back to see Gaara."

"You should get some sleep. I'll take the kids."

"Look who's talking, lazy ass. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No, I was _soo_ worried about you that I couldn't fall asleep. I had a late-night patrol."

"I know. That's why I turned off the alarm. I wanted you to get some rest." Shikamaru noticed that she looked sad. Almost...defeated. He gently reached up and stroked her cheek, and she held his hand, and laid against his chest.

"Temari, look at me. Look at me, darling." Temari looked up at him. He only ever called her that when he was worried or about to be really cheesy and romantic. She hated the idea of pet names, and when they started working on the Chunin exams together, he called her that to annoy her. And it worked. She tried to annoy him back by calling him love, but he was always unaffected. But as time went on, and they got closer, Temari noticed that she loved hearing it from his mouth. Shikamaru admitted to her later that the first time he said it to her, it slipped out. He meant it, but kept using it to annoy her so she wouldn't figure out how he felt about her. Shikamaru looked into her eyes and saw that she had been crying so much. He pulled her closer and rubbed her back. And that's when she couldn't hold it in anymore. She was sobbing into his chest, and he was just whispering to her, letting her get it all out.

"MOM! We're ready to go!" Both parents slightly jumped at their son's voice. Temari took a deep breath, and got up. Shikamaru put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let me take the kids today. You get some rest."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, Temari. Rest. The Academy is on my way, and I need to talk to Shikadai about some stuff." Temari thought about it, and then nodded. She leaned forward and Shikamaru hugged her tightly.  
"I'll bring the kids by the hospital after they are done today." His wife nodded and left their bedroom. She walked down the stairs and began making something quick for her husband to eat. Shikamaru heard her from the bathroom.

"Your father is going to take you today! So make sure you're ready, and don't make him late!" Shikamaru also heard his son's grumbled response. Shikamaru smiled and after getting undressed, he hopped into the shower. The two children downstairs looked at each other, wondering why their dad was taking them. He usually just ran out of the door. He always had a mission or a patrol or somewhere to be early in the morning. Shikadai didn't even know his dad was home until his mother said something. But whenever he took them anywhere, they moved at his pace. So the siblings looked at each other, and then rushed to make their breakfasts. When their mom takes them, they stop off and get something to eat at a little tea shop. They didn't dare argue though, for fear of incurring their mother's wrath. The two children quickly made their breakfast and tried to eat it as fast as possible. They both knew that when their father wanted to leave, he left. And while they both could get to their destinations easily enough on their own, Shikamaru had said he would take them both. So when he came downstairs, dressed in his Anbu attire and with his backpack already on, they were both ready to go. Temari handed Shikamaru a small cup of tea and a bowl of ramen. It was quick and he downed it easily enough. He gave the dishes back to Temari who went to set them in the sink. He looked at his wife, who still seemed out of sorts. He decided to make her feel a bit better.

"Thanks for breakfast. But I have one question. Would it kill you to make a sandwich?" Temari's head slowly turned from the sink and she glared back at him.

"Kids, can you wait outside for a minute? Your father and I need to talk about something." Shikadai knew what was coming, and before she could say anything, he scooped up his little sister and went to the front porch. Shikamaru tried his best not the hide the smirk. He knew something like that would irritate his wife. And she was starting to look like her normal self again. They've had this conversation before, after he attempted to cook her a Valentine's Day meal.

" _Let's face it baby. You're not cooking in our kitchen ever again."_

" _I don't think anyone can ever cook in this kitchen again."_

" _I'll cook for us from now on. I can't believe you destroyed the stove!"_

" _I didn't think it would be that hard to cook some shrimp!"_

" _I'm going to cook from now on."_

" _Fine by me. You're a better cook anyway."_

" _And if you behave, I'll make you anything you want."_

" _Anything?"_ _  
_ _"Anything."_

" _Would you make me a sandwich?"_

" _Never."_

" _Why not?"_

" _Because as much as I love you, I'm not going to do that out of principal. I'll make you any dinner you want, but I'm not going to make you a sandwich. Ever."_

"Shikamaru _,_ I know that you're an incredibly intelligent man, and you're extremely kind and compassionate, so I'm really sure that I just heard you wrong. Can you please say that one more time?" Shikamaru stepped closer to her to make sure she knew what he was saying. Temari backed against the wall, and suddenly there was very little space between them. Shikamaru's head, more specifically, his mouth was mere inches from her lips.

"Next time, make...me...a...sandwich." Not only did he want her to make him a sandwich, he told her to do it. And while she hated being bossed around, and he knew that she would kill him for it, Temari secretly liked it when he took control. Her husband rarely did anything that required extra energy. So when he took charge, and ordered her to do things, for some reason that escaped her every time, all she wanted to do was grab his face and kiss him. And never stop. Unless certain other activities came immediately after.

"Shut your mouth Nara."

"Make me." Temari didn't know whether to smack that smug-ass grin off his face, or make out with him. So she did what she would normally do when she can't decide. She did both.

"Mom? What was that? Is everything oka…" Shikadai walked into the kitchen, having heard something loud and a thud. He saw his father pushing his mother against the wall, their lips mashed together and her legs wrapped around him.

"Holy shit! What the hell?!" He quickly ran out of the house, and tried to delete the image from his mind. The husband and wife straightened themselves out, and Shikamaru smiled and after kissing her cheek, he walked out of the house, leaving Temari smiling and shaking her head. The Nara family walked into the bright sunny day that had graced Konohagakure for the past few days. Shikadai noticed that his father had a goofy grin on his face. He was still a bit queasy from what he saw. Shikamaru noticed and lightly flicked his son's ear.

"Ow! Dad? What the hell?"

"That's for cursing in the house." And he flicked him again.

"That was for doing again."

"Seriously?"

"Hey, be happy it was me and not your mother punishing you."

"Daddy, why are you taking us?" Shikami looked at her father, and was puzzled. _Mommy said she was going to take me to the Academy today._

"Is it so bad that a father wants to spend time with his children? Your mother was at the hospital all night with your uncle Gaara. So she's going to get some rest now and I'll take you."

"Dad, I can make it to the training grounds by myself. You didn't need to take me."

"That is true, Shikadai, but I haven't been home for the past two weeks, and I've missed you guys. So I'd like to spend time with you." The trio continued walking through the village, and Shikamaru saw Neji and Hinata Hyuga talking outside her house.

"Hello you two."

"Shikamaru, how's Gaara doing?"

"He hasn't woken up, but Sakura said that he is getting better."

"How's Temari feeling?" The look of concern was clear across Neji's face.

"As well as she can be doing. She slept all through the night last night, so that's good."

"That is good. Tenten went on a mission somewhere, but before she left, we made you guys some dinner. I'm sorry I didn't drop it off sooner."

"Thanks Neji. We've been ordering out the past couple of nights because Temari and I haven't been able to prepare anything. This will help a lot, especially when Kankuro arrives." Neji nodded, and Hinata smiled a bit. She took something out of her bag, and handed it to Shikamaru.

"There's two sandwiches inside, one for you and one for Naruto. My husband forgot to take them with him when he left them. Again." Hinata and Naruto had gotten married a few years ago, and they had a little baby boy. He was just like his mother, quiet and reserved, but Naruto was sure that he would become rowdy and crazy once he got to be around three. Shikamaru placed the bag inside his pack, and nodded.

"I'll make sure he gets it."

"Thank you Shikamaru."

"Of course Hinata." Every time the jinchuriki had an early mission or patrol, he forgot his lunch, and every time, Shikamaru brought it with him to give to him. The family continued down the road, until they eventually reached the school. Iruka-Sensei was gathering the students up to go inside, and when he saw Shikamaru and his family, the teacher smiled.

"Ready for class today, Shikami?"  
"Not really sensei. When do we do the fun stuff?"

"A chip off the old block."

"I'm not that old."  
"No you're not Shikamaru. How's Temari?"

"She's doing okay."

"Did Gaara wake up yet?"

"No. He's still out. But he'll get better." The bell ran and Shikami ran inside to see her friends. Shikamaru and Iruka shook hands and then went their separate ways. Shikadai kept looking at his father, wondering what he wanted to talk about. They both walked past the gates of the village, and entered the forest. After some silence, the younger shadow user couldn't handle it anymore.

"Dad. What did you want to talk to me about?!" Shikamaru looked at his son, and smiled. Both children had his snarky attitude and witty remarks, but they also got their mother's impatience.

"Your mother and I noticed that you've been wearing my cologne. Any particular reason for that?" If he had been less observant, Shikamaru wouldn't have noticed the slight change in pace his son had, or how he tensed his shoulders. But with a brain that could think 200 moves ahead, it couldn't have been easier to notice if it came with lights and sirens.

"Yeah. I just..figured I would...you know, start wearing it. Might as well get used to it."

"What's there to get used to? You open the bottle, spray some on, and that's it. It's not a written exam. And even if it was, you'd pass it easily. Come on, son. You're smarter than this. Surely you've thought of some excuse to try to throw me off track." Shikadai just shook his head.

"You're too smart. I thought about it, and I realized I couldn't fool you. So just ask the question dad. Stop stalling." This worried Shikamaru. Usually, his son would try to hide personal things from his parents, to avoid lectures and teasing. For him to just give up was disheartening. _Something must really be bothering him. But he'll tell me when he's ready._

"Who is she?" Shikadai made a face.

"Who said it was a she?" That threw Shikamaru for a loop. He stopped walking for a quick second, his brain evaluating the statement he just heard. He didn't care if his son was gay or not. And Temari wouldn't care either. It just shocked him to hear his son admit it in such a...laid back fashion. As if it didn't truly matter. It actually annoyed him a little. _Now I know why everyone was so ticked when I answered like that._ He continued walking next to his son as if nothing had happened.

"Fine, then. Who is he?"  
"You were right the first time. I just wanted to mess with you." _This kid...What a drag._

"She's a chunin from a distant village. She's about three years older than me. She's beautiful, incredibly smart, kind, hardworking, and just...perfect. You know? And every time I see her, I just feel...I don't know. I feel really good. When she talks to me, I suddenly feel important and really good. It's like she...I don't know how to explain it." Shikadai let out a sigh, and just smiled. He looked up at the clouds, and Shikamaru couldn't help but smile as well.

"Well, for your old man's sake, why don't you try a little harder to explain the situation? What's her name?"

"Rena Kagami."

"That's a pretty name."

"I've never felt this way before. It's...It's odd. I've liked other girls, but with her...It's different. I can't really describe it...It's almost…"

"Like your world is black and white, with no sound? And this girl appeared, and suddenly, your world became a beautiful painting, and you could hear people singing and the birds chirping? And you sit and wonder, 'how could I have lived without this?' Is it like that, Shikadai?" Shikadai looked up at his father in surprise.

"It's exactly like that. How did you know?"  
"That's exactly how your mother makes me feel."

"Really dad? I'm trying to be serious."

"I am being serious son. Your mother completed my world. That's how this girl makes you feel. You should say something then."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know what to say. I just...Freeze up. I don't know what to do exactly."  
"That's normal."

"Not for us dad! I'm an incredibly intelligent person! Why can't I put simple sentences together when she's around?"

"It is normal for us. I had the same problem too. Sure, your mother and I could argue and have regular conversations, but whenever it got anywhere near personal, I wouldn't know exactly what to say. It's something that happens to every man who likes someone. And it takes time to overcome." Both of them walked into the clearing, and they saw the rest of Shikadai's squad. Shikamaru hugged his son, and looked him in the eyes.

"How about tonight, we continue this conversation? And this weekend, I'll take you to buy some other kind of cologne, because you can't be using mine. It's weird."

"Okay dad."

"I'll see you later son. And I won't tell your mother yet." Shikadai chuckled a bit, before heading off to join his squad. Shikamaru waved at Moegi, and then proceeded to walk back into the forest. He looked up and watched the clouds, a smile on his face. After walking some distance, he heard some voices. Two very loud voices.

"I bet that I could eat ten bowls of Ichiraku Ramen in a minute! It's real easy! Believe it!"

"Yeah right! You've gotten too old for it! I doubt you could make it through three!"

"You wanna bet?"

"You're on!" _It's too early for this._ Shikamaru walked down the path and came across Naruto Uzumaki arguing with Konohamaru Sarutobi. While they both might have physically grown up, the lack of progress in the mental department left much to be desired. Once he saw the shadow user, Naruto got even more energetic.

"Where have you been lazy?! I've been waiting for hours!"

"Calm down! It hasn't been that long!"

"So?! You take forever! I never thought you could get any lazier, but I was proven wrong today!"

"I'm surprised to hear you admit you're wrong, Naruto."

"Stay out of this Konohamaru!"

"Can both of you shut up?!" They both looked at Shikamaru, who was very annoyed that he got stuck the blonde knucklehead. _Why? Why is always him I have patrols with? I'd rather take Neji, or Shino, or Lee. Hell, even Kiba is less work than this. What a drag._ Shikamaru fished the sandwich out of his backpack and tossed it to the jinchuriki.

"Hinata said you forgot your lunch...again. Catch." Naruto caught it, and smiled. Shikamaru couldn't help but smile back. _That knucklehead._ The three of them began walking, and Shikamaru just listened to the sounds of the forest. Or at least, he tried to. They both were arguing so loudly that he couldn't hear the birds or other critters. But he realized after a few seconds that it wasn't the other two being loud, there just weren't any animals to hear. They were the only ones around, probably because of these two loudmouths scaring away the inhabitants of the forest.

"I bet you my Rasengan is larger!"

"Not at all!" Shikamaru just let it continue. It wasn't worth the effort to try and stop. He looked up and watched the clouds, trying to find one shape in particular. He noticed it almost immediately. _There she is._ Whenever he was watching the clouds, he could always count on the fact that he would see something that reminded him of his wife. Today, it was a pointy could that reminded him of her hair. Shikamaru inhaled a deep breath and was prepared to let it out in a content sigh, but that's when a large shuriken flew from the tree line and landed squarely in his back.

 **That's the end of this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it! Remember, reviews help us get better with our writing! So send them in! And guess away with the giveaway! We'll see you soon, so enjoy and take care everybody!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Naruto…**

 **Here it is! We've finally gotten to the main plot. So I hope you guys are excited because I am super excited to get to this point! Also, no one has claimed the giveaway, but I'm ending it at this chapter because the answers will be revealed by the end of this chapter! Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 4: Invasion

A few hours earlier…

Two figures watched as the sun rose over the Hidden Leaf Village. The tall man spoke through the bandages on his mouth as he shook his head.

"So this is where the boy came from. This is his home. It's funny, I've never been to this village, yet I've faced countless Leaf shinobi. I'm glad I'm finally able to fight here." The young boy next to him only listened. They heard the footsteps from behind them and they turned. Their master, a white haired ninja wearing a green flak jacket approached them. They also saw the other reanimated shinobi come with him.

"I hope you're all ready for this. You all know what to do. Today, the Leaf will pay for what it did to me! Begin the attack!" All of the reanimated shinobi leapt into action. The silver haired ninja snapped his fingers and when he did, six more shinobi came forward. The two ninja stepped back into line with the rest of them. The white haired ninja looked at them and smiled.

"I have brought each of you back to life for this day. All of you know your jobs. Find your targets and kill them. Each one that falls will bring the Leaf closer to defeat. Go!"

"Yes sir, Master Kai-Ji!" They all nodded and leapt away, eager to complete their mission for their master. The boy looked at his partner, and they both knew who they were targeting. The blonde ninja would die today. The tracker-nin watched his comrade and saw the sadness in his eyes. They were under their master's control. They couldn't stop this war even if they tried.

"Zabuza, is something wrong?" The reanimated Hidden Mist Swordsmen just shook his head, and the boy could have sworn he saw tears.

"No, Haku. Everything is fine."

Back in the forest…

"Shikamaru!" Naruto threw some kunai as a distraction while Konohamaru grabbed the shadow-user and they got some distance between them and their attacker. Shikamaru's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke and there was a log in its place.

"Shadow stitching jutsu!" Black shadows sped across the forest, finding their mark in a few ninja. Shikamaru leapt down from the branch he was residing on, and saw that they were still moving. He had meant to kill them, but it hadn't worked. That's when he noticed their eyes. They were pale white, and they moved a little slower than jonin level ninja. He realized with horror quickly what had happened.

"Naruto! Konahamaru! Get out of here! Tell Lord Hokage the village is under attack!"

"No way! We aren't leaving you!"

"They aren't living ninja! Someone has cast the Reanimation Summoning Jutsu! These are probably the same guys as the ones who attacked Gaara! I'll prevent them from following you! Go!" Naruto didn't know what to do. He wanted to help Shikamaru stay and fight, but he knew that the shadow user was right. Besides, the village had to be warned.

"Naruto! I can handle them! Get out of here now!" Naruto nodded and fled with Konohamaru right behind him. Shikamaru looked at the ninja dn released his jutsu. They fell to the ground and began lurching toward him. _Jutsu won't work on them. I need to actually get in close and fight them._ He drew his sword and stepped forward. The ninja charged him and he cut down the first few with ease. He watched as they turned into dust, and smiled. _So I can kill them, but it's a little harder than a normal human._ A few reanimated shinobi drew weapons and Shikamaru found himself dodging shuriken while crossing blades with kunai. It was taking everything he had to focus on the multiple threats. He saw a kunai with an explosive tag speeding towards him. He quickly leapt away and it detonated against a tree, injuring no one.

"Well done! That was quite impressive!" Shikamaru watched as one man stepped forward, slowly clapping. He had a long black robe on, and there was a scar across his forehead. He didn't see any markings to show what village he belonged to, but Shikamaru noticed the long katana sheath from under the cloak.

"I haven't been able to fight a good swordsman in ages! I missed it a lot! And you are my next victim!" He untied his robe and let it fall. Shikamaru saw all the scars and wounds across the man's chest. He drew his own sword, and Shikamaru saw the blackened blade, with different characters written on the steel.

"The name is Hanzo Gyakusatsu. You recognize that name?" Shikamaru thought long and hard about it. It certainly rang a bell, but every battle is won or lost in the mind. Fear or anger could be deadlier weapons than any blade.

"Nope. Why? Should I know who you are?" The man just laughed, and Shikamaru began to worry about how many opponents he was facing. You can have all the power in the world, but eventually, there will be too many to focus on and one will slip your notice. And that's the one who plants the dagger in your back. He tried to formulate a plan, but suddenly Hanzo charged. Shikamaru barely had time to bring his own sword up to block the strike. They stared at each other through their deadlock, and Shikamaru noticed the man's eyes were red. _He's not a reincarnation. He's a human._ Shikamaru pushed against the man, and was able to gain some distance. But before he could charge forward, he had to deflect a kunai. The other shinobi attacked again, and Shikamaru had to fight them off, and pay attention to where Hanzo went. Every now and then, he would dodge the black blade as it was heading for his skull, or deflect the thrust intended for his gut. But Shikamaru was getting tired. _How long have I been fighting?_ He needed to end this now, or at least escape. But he couldn't focus fast enough. This man and his reanimated friends were persistent, and Shikamaru had never had a fight this hard in his life.

"Fang over Fang!" Suddenly, two white vortexes appeared and scattered the shinobi. Shikamaru glanced up and saw Kiba and his canine companion Akamaru standing before him.

"You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah. You came in the nick of time, Kiba."  
"Don't mention it. What's going on?"  
"I don't know, but these guys are from the same group that injured the Kazekage."

"Is that right? Naruto told me to come get your back, and it's a good thing I did. I'd hate to be the guy to tell Temari you bought the farm. Naruto said he would go and bring more people here, but for now, it's the three of us. You good, or should we fall back some?" Shikamaru stood up, and drew his sword.

"I'm good. Just watch out for that guy. He's the only live one here. But he's fast, and really skilled with that blade."

"Got it. You ready, boy?" The dog barked, and Kiba pulled some food pills from his pouch, giving one to his friend before consuming the other.

"Then let's go Akamaru!"

Gaara woke up, and saw a soft pair of green eyes looking down at him. He blinked a few times, and tried to sit up, but the woman didn't let him.

"Lord Kazekage, you can't strain yourself. You've been through a lot. Please, relax." Sakura had a feeling that he was going to try to do something like that. So she sat in his room, waiting for him to wake up. She admired the Kazekage, because he was so similar to Naruto. They both grew up feeling isolated and lonely, and they both were able to find friends and become great people. Naruto was there for Gaara when he was at his loneliest, and in return Gaara was there for Sakura when she was lonely as well. For a long time, she was going through the motions of life, and there were many days where it was really hard for her. After two miscarriages and Sasuke leaving to go on his soul-searching mission, Sakura was really beaten down. Gaara had always been there for her though. He brought her flowers and took her to dinner. It wasn't romance, but a really good friendship. She didn't want another husband, she just needed someone to be there for her. Ino was there for her, but Gaara provided something different. And so when she saw him so hurt and beaten, it only pushed her to help him more.

"You s-saved me?" Sakura nodded at the man. Gaara smiled, and it warmed Sakura's heart.

"Th-Thank you, Sakura."

"Of course, Gaara. You're my friend. I'll always be here for you." They stared at each other, and both were lost looking at each other, and Gaara couldn't help but smile. Sakura handed him a glass of water, and he slowly drank it.

"Here, let me help you sit up." She slowly lifted the Kazekage, and he sat up and that's when he saw the flowers. A lot of flowers. Sakura followed his glance, and saw the collection.

"A lot of people wished you well. Your sister is coming by later to drop off more. Lee came back from a mission and he had picked you some flowers too, but there were bees still in them, so I had to throw them away." Gaara chuckled slightly, and had it been years before, Sakura would have been shocked by this seemingly simple gesture. But over time, Gaara got closer and closer to being a "normal" human. At least, as normal as one can get when compared to her friends.

"It's the thought that counts. Tell Lee I said thank you."

"I'm sure he'll be by later so you can say hi and tell him yourself. Oh, shoot! I just remembered. Lord Kakashi wanted me to alert him the moment you woke up. I'll be right back! If you need anything, call for Ino. I'll be right back, I promise!"

"Sakura!" The pink haired woman stopped at the door.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Sakura smiled at the Kazekage.

"Anything for a friend." She waved and left the room. Despite having so many now, Gaara still felt bliss every time he heard someone say he was their friend. He looked again at the floral arrangement across from his room, and it made him so happy to know that people cared about him. They were his friends. He slowly stood up, and walked over to the table with all the flowers. There was a white rose in front of all of them, and it looked like it was the most recent arrival. He picked up a letter attached and opened it. _When you read this, I'll be rally happy because it means you're able to move again. I hope you get well soon. I'm always around if you need me. Your friend, Sakura._ Just reading her words made the Kazekage happy. Her happiness always made him happy. Matsuri was jealous at first, because of how close they were. She confronted the Leaf medic about it one night. Sakura informed that she wasn't romantically interested in Gaara. She admitted that she wouldn't be able to make him as happy as Matsuri did. They had been friends ever since he approached her and apologized for his actions during the Chunin Exams. She was helping him learn how to be more emotionally available and how to relate better to others, and he provided someone for her to talk to. Sakura apologized to Matsuri for making her think that she was taking her boyfriend from her, but Matsuri apologize for assuming something as terrible as that. And the two have been close friends since. Gaara heard the door open, but he kept looking at the flowers.

"Sakura, I know I should be in bed, but I had to look at them. And thank you for the note. It was really sweet of…" Gaara turned and instead of the pink haired girl, he saw Kimimaro in the doorway. He stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. His chest still hurt him, but he needed to get out of the room. Close quarters aren't his strong suit.

"Kimimaro."

"Gaara of the Sand. So apparently, you've become the Kazekage. I'm impressed."

"What are you doing here?"  
"Our master wants the Hidden Leaf Village destroyed. And you along with it." The white haired man's arm twitched and suddenly a bone came out of his arm, and he held the sword out, aimed for Gaara.

"Now die!"

Sakura ducked under the blade and punched Hayate as hard as she could. Ino was busy holding off Lady Chiyo, but both of them were unable to reach Gaara's room. And they heard the sounds of fighting coming from inside. She had run off to tell Kakashi that Gaara was awake, but was stopped by two familiar people on the way to the staircase. Both of them were friendly faces in a past life, but since being revived and forced to fight for an unknown master, she had to take them on. Sakura watched as Hayate Gekko slowly rose, and brushed himself off. He charged and swung his sword again, and Sakura pulled out a kunai to block it.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but we will succeed in our mission."

"I won't let you harm him!"

"I'm not talking about Gaara. Lady Chiyo and myself have a different mission. We were sent to eliminate you." He quickly ducked down, and tripped Sakura. She hit the ground, and Hayate plunged his sword through her chest. Sakura disappeared into a cloud of smoke, and quickly sent the former Leaf shinobi flying against another wall. Before she could step forward, an armored hand quickly stopped her.

"I'll take care of him. Sakura, protect the Kazekage." Sakura looked up to an Anbu Black Ops with purple hair in front of her.

"As much as I love you, I never wished to see you again, Hayate." At the sound of his former fiance's voice, Hayate turned. He lifted his sword and crossed his blades with Yugao.

"Don't make me hurt you, Yugao."

"Why have you returned?"  
"My master wants his revenge on the Leaf. He will destroy this village as it had destroyed him."

Temari raced through the town, trying to get to the school. Reanimated shinobi were attacking the village, and after fighting some of them, she needed to get to her family. She ducked as another shuriken was thrown at her, and blasted the reanimated shinobi into the air. She arrived at her destination, and saw the school was on fire. The children were running out of the building, escorted by their teachers, but the shinobi were vastly outnumbered by their undead counterparts. Iruka's clones were successfully keeping the children safe, and Temari decided to assist him. Ibiki Morino was also there, and he was currently occupied with a very different looking shinobi. This man had strange markings on his arms, as well as stitches covering them. He had light green eyes, and his face was covered by a mask. When he spoke it was with a deep voice.

"I remember this village. I wonder if this Hokage is any better than the one I fought." Ibiki was struggling to fight this man, because of the raw strength he had. Suddenly, an arm appeared from seemingly nowhere and after grabbing Ibiki around his throat, it threw him into the school building. The arm slowly retracted, attached to threads coming from the ninja's arm. After it reconnected, it sewed itself back on at the elbow, and the ninja looked at Temari.

"Who's next?"

Naruto and Konohamaru raced through the forest. They were almost at the village gates, but stopped when they heard the sounds of combat. They approached the clearing that led to the gates of Konoha, and saw Izumo and Kotetsu fighting off a large group of shinobi. Both were holding their own, while Genma was avoiding being cut in half by a rather large sword. Zabuza swung his sword aiming for Genma's stomach, but the Leaf jonin jumped away, and at the same time, Zabuza summon water clones to surround him. Genma was too busy fighting them to dodge the sword against his back, and he fell to the ground, with Zabuza standing over him.

"Now you die!" At that moment, however a large shuriken took the blade from the Hidden Mist ninja's hands, as Naruto jumped down, and after grabbing Genma, retreated to the village gates where Izumo and Kotetsu were forced to hold their ground. Konohamaru was also there, ready for a fight.

"Haku!"  
"Yes Zabuza!" Haku fell back to Zabuza's position and the two groups stared at each other.

"Long time no see boy."

"I thought you were dead, Zabuza. You as well, Haku."

"Some asshole has brought us back, in the hopes of using us to crush this village. At least, that's what the other shinobi are for. Our master brought eight specific ninja back to life, with the idea that these specific eight would eliminate key players in the Hidden Leaf Village. Haku and myself were assigned to kill you."

"Zabuza is right. I'm sorry Naruto, but we must fight again." Naruto felt a few tears leave his eyes. He wiped them away, and summoned a shadow clone. He looked at the two reanimated shinobi from his past as he readied his Rasengan.

"I'm sorry you both are back. It's not right. You should be at peace. I'll return you to that place, I promise." Zabuza laughed, but it wasn't a mocking gesture.

"I'm rooting for you boy. Now, prepare yourself!" Zabuza and Haku charged forward, ready to clash with the jinchuuriki of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Kakashi watched as his friend was quickly defeated by the helmeted ninja. The two had entered his office and attacked him, silent the entire time. Yamato had arrived to save the Hokage, but he was out of his league. Something about the ninja with the mask was familiar to Kakashi. _But where do I know him from?_ The other one, was fast. She wasn't as silent as her partner, and as such, Kakashi was able to figure out that she was relatively inexperienced, at least compared to the other occupants. But that didn't mean that she was harmless. She was incredibly skilled in taijutsu, as well as being quick with handsigns. Part of the office had been burned because she utilized fire style and wind style jutsu. Now, the four ninja were on top of the Hokage building, but it was only Kakashi against the two. The masked ninja was dressed in a green flak jacket, and he was wearing a helmeted gasmask. He looked at Kakashi, and finally spoke.

"Hey there Kakashi. Long time no see, buddy." Despite the mechanical sound of it, Kakashi knew there something familiar about the voice. It was a voice from a long time ago, so long ago that he had a hard time discerning who it was underneath however. That didn't make it any less haunting, and while Kakashi was unaware of who was underneath, the voice from the masked ninja was certainly an old skeleton from the copy ninja's closet.

"Surprised to see me again? Or are you still trying to figure out who I am?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you again. I guess the Kazekage wasn't able to give you my gift. Ah well. I usually hate spoiling surprises, but it doesn't matter. You would have found out pretty soon either way. Do you remember your eighteenth birthday? I don't. I was already gone on that day. You had thrown me out of the village. You, of all people. What was my crime? The murder of two fellow Leaf shinobi, and you listened to the Hokage and exiled me from our village." Kakashi suddenly had an idea who it was, but he was wishing that he was wrong. However, it all made sense. Everything he had been told by Shikamaru when he was informed of Gaara's hospitalization. The man slowly plucked the different tubes from his mask, and once they were out, he twisted and the helmet came off. Kakashi saw the white hair, and the small smile on the man's face, and it confirmed his fears. The man looking back at him was almost identical to him, only four years younger.

"Ta-Tadashi? Is that you?" The ninja laughed.

"Ding, ding, ding! Give the man a prize! Only, I don't go by that name anymore! My name is Kai-Ji! Fitting, isn't it, big brother? You always were father's favorite. And I always was the inferior child." Kakashi slowly fell to his knees. He never expected to see his younger brother again. Kai-Ji just watched and smiled.

"But did that ever hurt me? No it didn't! It didn't matter that I was less, it didn't matter that I was not the golden child. Because I was happy to be by my big brother's side. Because no matter what, we always covered each other! I had your back and you had mine! We were the strongest Anbu there was! But you forced me out! You discarded me, as if I was a worthless piece of trash! Our comrades were going to betray us, so I eliminated them, and because of that, they sent you to kill me! You! Of all the people to hand down that punishment! The Friend-Killer Ninja himself! Isn't that quite ironic, my dear?" Kakashi looked at the other person on the roof, and watched as she slowly removed her hood. He recognized the purple stripes and the innocent smile immediately.

"Rin?"

 **Straight Damn! It's about to get real in here! So Kakashi is fighting his old squad mate and his younger brother! Also, new giveaway! Same prize as before, but the question is, what do the names Tadashi,** **Gyakusatsu, and Kai-Ji mean? There are hints in the story! So review with your answers, enjoy your lives, and take care everybody!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Naruto…Such a drag…**

 **And the invasion is in full swing! Warning, some sad scenes happen, as well as this chapter being longer than the others. So I hope you enjoy and don't cry too much. If you cry easily, make sure to have a box of tissues lying around. Review and tell us what you think about it!**

Chapter 5: Falling Leaves

Naruto ducked to avoid the flying blade, but before he could get up, Zabuza had kicked him, launching him through a tree. Konohamaru was busy fighting Haku, who's superior speed and skill were quickly overwhelming the young jonin. Naruto couldn't fight the undead swordsman and keep an eye on his friend. He needed help, and fast. But from where it would come from or what form it would take he didn't know. Genma had already passed out from the blood loss, and it wouldn't be long before he died. Izumo and Kotetsu were still fighting off the undead shinobi, hoping to prevent anymore from entering the village. They needed help, and soon. But where would it come from? Everyone was already focused on defending the village in their own areas. Naruto looked up and saw Zabuza charging towards him.

"What do I do?"

"Naruto! Help!" Naruto turned and saw that Haku had activated his crystal ice mirrors jutsu. Konohamaru was trapped inside.

"Konohamaru! I'm on my way!" Naruto rushed over to him, but he was blocked by the Hidden Mist Swordsman.

"I'm not letting you get away boy!" Haku started throwing the senbon at Konohamaru, who could avoid some of them, but not all. Naruto knew that unless he was able to break it from the outside, Konohamaru would end up dead. The blonde ninja then looked back at Izuma and Kotetsu. They were able to keep the other shinobi at bay, and Genma was awake, propped against the gates, with Shizune healing him. She was holding his hand and crying a bit. _So this is what Lady Tsunade felt when she was healing Dan._ She couldn't face her daughter and tell her that she wasn't able to save daddy. Genma and Shizune had gotten married almost immediately after the Fourth Shinobi War, and their daughter was a promising young chunin. They were both very proud of her. Naruto ducked to avoid another swing of kubikiribōchō, but his clone was too slow and got cut down. Zabuza did some hand signs and a few water copies arose from the ground.

"If you're going to use clones, then I guess I will too." Naruto knew he was fighting a losing battle. _How do I protect everyone and myself?_ Naruto was able to destroy one clone, and then he struck another, but the third caught him off guard swung the blade down, aiming for the ninja's neck. But the blow never came. Naruto looked up and saw a purple shirt, and white hair. Suigetsu looked back at him and smiled.

"Cavalry's here buddy boy." Naruto was surprised and heard an explosion to his right. The ice mirrors were gone, and Haku was retreating to Zabuza's position. Jugo attempted to land a punch on the real Zabuza but he was able to evade and fell back. Karin was alongside Shizune, helping heal Genma, and Izumo and Kotetsu had taken care of all the remaining shinobi, and were currently looking after Konohamaru, who had quite a few senbon in him, but otherwise was fine. Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder, and heard a voice he hadn't heard for a long time.

"Naruto? This guy giving you trouble again?" Sasuke looked at the Hidden Mist Ninja and smiled.

"Didn't we kick your ass once before?" The demon ninja of the mist laughed.

"There's the other one. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Zabuza, the master is recalling everyone. Look." Both reanimated ninja looked up and saw the black eagle, flying above the village. It was the signal to fall back. They nodded to each other and quickly fled, with Jugo and Suigetsu giving chase. Sasuke helped his friend to his feet, and Naruto quickly hugged the Uchiha. Sasuke was slow to return the embrace, but he did return it.

"Let's go see what else has happened in the village while I was gone."

Ino watched as Chiyo withdrew and pulled out a scroll. Their fight had taken them outside, in front of the hospital. She summoned two puppets from her massive collection, a man who wore a devil's mask, and he held a giant hammer. The other was Crow, or at least, a more upgraded version. She pulled out her kunai and charged, clashing with the two puppets. Crow was able to dodge her attack, while the other took the blow and held her back. Crow used the distraction as a way to get behind her and fire senbon, but Ino disengaged and leapt clear of the danger. Ino threw a kunai at the devil puppet and Chiyo pulled him out of the way, and charged. Ino avoided the puppet's strike, but was unable to evade the other puppet behind her. The armored Crow plunged a blade down into her back, and she screamed and fell to the ground. Ino looked at her wound, and attempted to heal it quickly, but the puppet was already on her. It struck again with the same blade, and Ino closed her eyes. _I'll always love you, Sai…_ She heard the blade sink itself inside of her with a solid thunk. _Wait. Thunk?_ Ino opened her eyes, and saw Crow in front of her. The real Crow. She looked behind her and saw Kankuro standing behind her, smirking.

"Get out of here, Ino. Help Sakura. This is a fight between puppet masters." Ino ran back into the building, healing herself and rushing to help her friend. Ino found Sakura on the hallway outside of Gaara's room. She was busy trying not to be cut in half by Hayate's katana. Yugao was helping her, however the Anbu couldn't land a hit on her undead fiancée. But he wasn't striking any blows either. They were effectively at a stalemate, but that didn't mean that either side was going to give up. Hayate attempted to stab Sakura, but Yugao deflected the blow and countered, cutting the deceased shinobi's arm. But instead of falling back, he pressed forward, damaging his arm more, but giving him a chance to attack.

"I'm sorry, Yugao, but I've won." He brought his knife into her stomach, and she gasped in pain, and slowly fell to the ground, clutching the kunai in her stomach. Hayate retrieved his sword and pressed his attack on Sakura, until a kick in his back sent him against the wall. He turned and was faced with another sword, but this one belonged to a man wearing a tan flak jacket.

"Sakura! Attend to Miss Uzuki now. I'll take care of him." Sakura looked at the masked Sand Shinobi, and smiled. _So reinforcements have arrived._ Which meant that someone was helping Gaara. Probably Matsuri or Kankuro. Sakura nodded and after removing her gloves, she began healing the Anbu member. Hayate looked up at Baki, and frowned.

"Your face seems familiar. Have we met?" Baki went a little pale in the face, slightly afraid that he would have to fight this man again, and for the truth to come out. Hayate's eyes lit up once he remembered.

"Yes. The Chunin Exams. I remember you. You're the one who killed me. Baki is your name, I believe." Even though she was in an enormous amount of pain, Yugao looked up in shock at Baki. _After all this time, it's been him?_ A few years ago, Baki had approached her and said that he was looking for a sparring partner to trade blows with. She had agreed, slightly intrigued and this lead to them developing a friendship. They had become close, and often were assigned together when the Sand and Leaf needed skilled jonin to complete a mission. Her new friend, was the one who killed her lover.

"It... It was...you...Baki?" Baki looked at his sparring partner and frowned slightly. He didn't want her to know. He felt terrible for what he did to her, and for killing her fiancé, all for a mission that wasn't even ordered by his own Kazekage. Because of an elaborate lie, he took someone's lover from them. And he had lived with that guilt for a long time. That's why he tried to spend time with her and help make her feel better, because it was his fault for her suffering. Hayate used this moment to his advantage, and kicked Baki's legs out from under him. He didn't know what had happened, but he could tell that Yugao and this man were close. Hayate was hopeful that maybe she had found happiness in another man. It hurt him so much to see her alone because he was gone. He wished that she would move on from him and find someone else and maybe this man was that someone else. Which made his next move all the more terrible. He grabbed his sword and dove at Yugao, the idea of plunging it into her heart filling his brain. But Baki had recovered and blocked the strike, quickly bringing his elbow up and into Hayate's jaw. Just as the reanimated shinobi predicted. He willingly took the blow, and spun around, his back facing Baki. He swung his sword around, thrusting it behind him and into Baki's stomach. Baki coughed, and some blood landed on Hayate's flak jacket. The leaf shinobi yanked his blade out of the sand ninja and stepped away. Baki fell to his knees and held his arm out to prevent him from falling onto the hospital floor. He coughed and more blood came out. Hayate approached to end him, but stopped when he heard the black eagle's cry. Without a second thought, he leapt out of the window and fled. Ino ran to the window and saw him, as well as Lady Chiyo departing. She rushed to Baki's side, and began trying to heal him. Yugao was mostly healed, but she crawled to Baki, and held his hand. The sand shinobi looked her in the eye, and frowned.

"I'm sorry...Miss... Uzuki...I... meant to...tell...you." Yugao shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. It was a mission, and I know you. That's the only reason that it happened. Don't blame yourself. Please. It's not your fault, and I forgive you." Baki was a bit surprised, and laid his head back down. _She forgave me...She forgave...me..._ The light in the hallway got too bright for the Hidden Sand jonin, so he closed his eyes, and enter a peaceful rest.

Gaara kept dodging and evading the blows from the bone sword Kimimaro wielded. He only had a limited amount of sand, because he didn't have his gourd. And Kimimaro knew this, so he kept pressing the attack.

"Stop playing with him and get a move on! This is taking too long Kimimaro!" Both people in the courtyard looked up and saw a man, with a leather hat and a long trench coat that was the color of the desert sand. He had a belt with a large blade on it, larger than a kunai, but too small to be a katana or sword. He wore a black button up shirt with a red cravat and he had two strap that went around his arms and connected in the center of his chest. There were little capsules along these straps and he was carrying two black objects in holders that were also attached to the straps. He leapt down, and slung a long weapon from his back. The length of it was made of a dark wood, but there were black metal parts attached to the back. On the bottom, rested a small trigger and a metal covering over it. Behind that was a long blade, almost like an axe head. And on top of it was a long thin metal rod, and Gaara noticed on the man's back, was a canister filled with more rods. He pulled back a metal handle on the side and then thrust it forward again, and pointed it straight at Gaara. He pulled the trigger, and Gaara was thrown against a wall from the impact. He looked down and saw the rod laying at his feet. His sand protected him from it, and the man smirked.

"Damn. He's good."

"This is my fight, _Gaijin._ Stay out of it." Gaara noticed the hatred in Kimimaro's voice, and that's when he saw the newcomer's eyes. They were light blue, so he wasn't a reanimated shinobi. He was human. And the nickname wasn't needed for Gaara to realize that he was a foreigner. His voice was obvious enough, and the way he acted. To Gaara, the man seemed like he had a sense of superiority and entitlement about himself.

"Oh, put a sock in it, bone boy." Kimimaro swung his blade at the man, who just lifted his weapon and blocked the attack, and before Kimimaro could do anything, the blunt end of the weapon was slammed into Kimimaro's jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"Now, where were we?" The man looked back at Gaara, and smiled.

"Orders are to kill you buddy. Nothing personal, it's just business, you know? A friend of mine wants me to kill you, so I say sure. Your name's Gaara right? I hate killing people and not knowing their names. It makes it so...informal. Unfamiliar. I want to know you before you die, you know? So how about I tell you my name? That way the ice is broken. The name's Zachary Miller. Where you from pal?" Gaara was taken aback by this man's speed and talent. Kimimaro was gripping his jaw and slowly stood up, but he deferred to Zachary now.

"You know that already, don't you? You're trying to kill me and you don't know where I'm from?"

"No, I do. I was just trying to make conversation, you know?"

"You know where I'm from, but I don't know about you, stranger. You mind telling me, seeing as how we're getting to know each other." Zachary laughed and took a rod from his back and carefully loaded it.

"Fair point sir, fair point. Surprising enough, I'm from the desert too, you know. A little hellhole called Deadwood. In a country called America. A real long ways away. It took me years to stumble upon this country here. And let me tell you, I was quite surprised to find you people here. I mean, who knew that a guy could pull bones from his body and use them as weapons right? It's really surprising to me. Where I come from, that shit doesn't exist. Hell, I barely belong here, you know? I'm a normal man. I can't do anything like you guys. But, I am a crack shot with my rifle here. But my friend, like I said earlier, wants you dead, so enough with the chitchat. It was nice knowing you, Gaara. No hard feelings, you know?" He had finished loading the rod, and aimed for Gaara again. Before the Kazekage could react, he pulled the trigger, but the rod was thrown off course by the rope wrapped around the barrel. It had pulled the rifle off aim for a second, but that was all that was needed for Zachary to miss.

"What the hell is this?" He quickly took out his knife and cut the rope dart, as Rock Lee leapt down into the garden. Matsuri landed beside him, they both stood in front of Gaara.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am Rock Lee! The handsome devil of the Hidden Leaf Village! And you are my opponent! Come and fight me!" Matsuri ran to her boyfriend's side and kissed him, and then began checking on him, making sure he was okay. Rock Lee was currently engaged with the foreigner, and if his life wasn't in danger, Gaara would have found it slightly funny. The two fighters couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, so they only had taijutsu and that's what they were fighting with. Rock Lee managed to land a kick on Zachary's chest and sent him flying backwards. He landed against the wall and was slow to get up. Kimimaro stepped forward to fight but they heard the cry of the black eagle, and sure enough when they saw it overhead, the two would-be assassins nodded to each other and fled. Rock Lee rushed to his friend's side.

"Gaara, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for your help. Both of you."

"Of course Lord Gaara. We would never leave you."

"Anytime Gaara. Also, did you get the flowers I sent?" Gaara smiled slightly.

"Yes I did. And I liked the bees that came with them." Rock Lee jumped back with surprise.

"There were bees in the flowers?! How can this be?!" Gaara just chuckled a bit at the jumpsuit wearing man in front of him. He couldn't lay his finger on it, but it seemed like this would be the last time he had the chance to laugh for a while.

Temari and Iruka were attempting to keep Kakuzu at bay, who was only using taijutsu, and was very skilled at it. Temari leapt back, leaving Iruka on his own for a moment, as she performed the shadow clone jutsu. Her clone leapt into the fray, distracting Kakuzu who proceeded to evade and fall back a bit, gaining some distance from the danger. The real Temari took advantage of the distraction and swing her fan, creating a large amount of wind, the cyclone slamming into Kakuzu and throwing him against the wall. Kakuzu was stunned for a second and that was all that was needed for Choji to finish him off.

"Human Boulder!" Unfortunately, Kakuzu was able to jump out of the way to avoid the rolling ball of human flesh intent on crushing him. While he was airborne, Temari aimed her Cyclone Scythe Jutsu at him. But he quickly summoned his heart of fire and shot a wind enhanced fireball at her. She quickly leapt out of the way, but the flames caught her arm. She screamed and landed a bit too hard on the ground. Iruka quickly leapt to her side.

"Temari! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Choji needs us!" She got up, gritting her teeth and attempting to ignore the pain. Iruka nodded, and performed a few hand signs.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two more Irukas appeared, and the three charged. One was immediately destroyed as Choji was thrown away, and the other one was kicked away by Kakuzu. The two ninja fought with kunai, and Iruka suddenly got the upper hand, and slit the ninja's throat. But he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The chunin looked around for his target, and screamed as a hand protruded through his back. Kakuzu had appeared behind him, and was now holding Iruka's heart in his hand. He ripped his hand back, and the Leaf shinobi fell, dead before he hit the ground.

"The First Hokage must be so ashamed! Is this how low his village has fallen?!" Suddenly, a large swarm of bugs emerged and split into groups, each trying to capture Kakuzu, who had no defense against an enemy of this kind, so he evaded them as best he could. He heard a cry and saw the black eagle flying overhead, and quickly escaped one final attack and retreated. Shino's bugs chased him as far as they could, but soon returned without their quarry. He walked over and held Iruka's limp body, and looked at Temari and Choji. He took off his goggles and lowered his head, his hood hiding his eyes from view.

"I'm...sorry I didn't arrive earlier. If I had...maybe…" Choji walked over and put his arm around the bug user.

"There was nothing you could have done. And you saved us too." Temari nodded, and Shino struggled not to cry. Iruka was his teacher, and then a trusted colleague and friend, and now he was dead. He put his goggles back on and lifted the fallen Leaf ninja over his shoulder.

"We should get him to the hospital. It seems that the fighting is mostly over, with the invading forces retreating once our allies and fellow shinobi arrived." Temari looked at him with confusion.

"Allies?"

"Yes. Your brother came with some other Sand shinobi. And I think everyone is going to be headed to the hospital. My bugs tell me that Iruka-Sensei wasn't the only one we lost today." The three ninja nodded and Choji helped Shino carry the dead ninja to the hospital, but Temari just ran to the building. She felt something during her own battle, but being preoccupied with it, she ignored it. But her body was telling her that she lost someone close to her. Thoughts of her dead children, of Gaara's lifeless body, Kankuro deathly pale and unmoving, or her husband, not breathing with one final cigarette hanging limping from his mouth terrified her.

Shikamaru stared at his opponent. He and Kiba had managed to lower the numbers of enemy Shinobi, and it was only Hanzo left. The man was still smiling like the psychopath that he was. He was an incredibly skilled warrior, capable of fending off all the attacks that the Leaf shinobi made. Kiba and Akamaru charged again, and Hanzo deftly avoided them and that's when the plan struck into action.

"Fang over fang!" Hanzo was caught between the two vortexes and was shredded into pieces. Kiba and Akamaru landed and looked back to see the splinters of a log on the ground.

"What the…"

"Surprise, motherfuckers!" Kiba and Akamaru looked up to see Hanzo leaping from the sky, bringing his blade down across Kiba's arm. He kicked Akamaru away, and then began to punch Kiba into a pulp, not stopping. Shikamaru attempted to catch him in the shadow possession jutsu, but he leapt away before he could be caught. He grabbed his sword and dove at the shadow user this time, Shikamaru readied his own blade for the impact.

"Eight-Trigrams Rotation!" Suddenly, a blue sphere of chakra was in front of Shikamaru and it laughed Hanzo backwards. He hit a tree with a sickening crunch, and coughed up some blood. But he was smiling and forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain attempting to cripple his body.

"This is getting fun!" But before they could begin another fight, a familiar face appeared and held Hanzo back.

"We are falling back. The village has sustained enough damage."

"Aw! Come on Kakuzu! Just one more fight! Please?!" Shikamaru immediately recognized the ninja in front of him and prepared for another fight. Kakuzu also noticed the shadow user and laughed.

"So, we meet again! If only Hidan were here, then it would be like old times!" Shikamaru flinched, praying that the immortal was not going to pop out of the bushes. _The last thing I need is that troublesome piece of trash coming here._ But he readied his sword and Kiba and Akamaru went to his sides. Kakuzu grabbed Hanzo, and pulled him back.

"We are leaving."

"Fuck that! I'm not going anywhere!"

"The master said we must fall back." And suddenly, Hanzo nodded and put away his sword.

"Guess we're leaving then. See you around, shadow boy." The two disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and the Leaf ninja were left confused.

"Why did they just leave like that?"

"We need to get back to the village." Shikamaru ran to Kiba to check on him. He had a black eye and a bloody nose, and his arm was bleeding but he would live. Akamaru quickly ran over to his master. Neji helped put Kiba on the dog's back and they quickly headed back to the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kakashi started at his former teammate, and she stared back. He saw that her eyes were glossed over. _Has she been...crying?_ His brother looked at him, and smiled.

"How many people even remember that there were two of us? Or that you even had a brother?"

"Kakashi...It's been so long…"

"Rin...I'm so sorry. I didn't...mean to...I... I…"

"I know. I explained everything to Obito. He knows, and I know. I forgave you a long time ago. I was the one who jumped in front of the Chidori. It was never your fault."

"So why are you here?"

"Because I brought her here. I wanted to cause you some pain, big brother. You hurt me terribly, when you betrayed me."

"It was my mission! You killed our comrades! I couldn't let you get away with that!"

"So imprison me! Hell, even kill me! Or at least try! That was the worst moment in my life! Father always looked at you with pride, but for his other son, there was nothing in his eyes, nothing but disappointment. That hurt me, but you were always there to console me. You were always proud of me! And to see that look in your eyes, that killed me! Tadashi died that day. And I was born, as was my hatred for you!"

"Tadashi, I didn't want to kill you! I couldn't!"  
"You should have! Because it hurts more to know that your own brother hates you than to be dead! But I'm going to get my revenge! On you and this village!" He angrily put the gasmask back on, and rapidly performed some hand signs. It was almost too fast for the normal human eye to see, but Kakashi did not need his Sharingan to know what was coming. After all, he invented the jutsu.

"Lighting Daggers!" Kakashi saw in his younger brother's hands, two Chidori, and quickly braced himself. He prepared his own, and just in time to block an attack from the younger Hatake. They'd both strike at each other, evade and then counterattack. Rin watched as her master and one of her best friends fought, one intent on killing the other. She felt a power take control of her, and she quickly drew a kunai and charged. Kakashi saw her coming, and ducked out of the way. He couldn't fight them both at the same time. _I can't fight her._ But Rin kept attacking, and Kakashi tried to avoid her as best he could.

"Rin! Fall back! I told you he was mine!" But Rin couldn't stop attacking.

"I'm sorry master! But I can't stop! It is your wish to see him die! You may not want me to do it, but in your heart, you want him dead! That is your desire, and I am your servant! I can only do what you want me to do!" Kai-Ji was forced to calm down, and Rin fell back accordingly.

"I guess I need to keep my temper under control. I let my emotions get the better of me. I've gotten better at not losing my cool over the years, big brother. I guess seeing you again has made me miss the old times." He poured a lot more chakra into the palms of his hands, and the two Chidori grew in length, and Kakashi understood and responded with his own. However, he was always at a disadvantage when faced with his younger brother's Chidori. If the people of the Hidden Leaf Village thought the Sixth Hokage was fast, then they should have seen his younger brother. Kakashi was always the stronger of the two, and his brother was the faster. It was what made them work so well together.

"Lightning Saws!"

"Lightning Cutter!" The two siblings clashed on top of the Hokage building and Rin watched as her master fought. They were so similar, the two Hatake brothers, and watching them fight was like watching a man attack his reflection in the mirror. They knew each other so well, that they could easily predict the other's move, almost before they made it, and it had nothing to do with Kakashi's Sharingan. And they would easily counter the other, and then make an attack of their own, but the other knew what was coming so it too was blocked. She was so distracted by the battle that she was almost too late in avoiding the wood style attack directed at her. Yamato had woken up and was back in the fight, and Kai-Ji noticed.

"All across the village, more ninja are showing up to defend it from you and your invading forces. We will not back down, nor will we fall today. Our allies have arrived and you will fail. Your revenge ends now!"

"Not a chance! Rin, fall back!" Kai-Ji disengaged from his brother, and quickly pulled a scroll from his pocket. After biting his thumb and wiping the blood on the scroll, a large black bird appeared, and they both leapt onto its back.

"This isn't over Kakashi! Not by a long shot!" They both flew away, and across the village, the fighting slowly died down, as the invaders retreated.

 **Damn! The Hidden Leaf Village got knocked the f*%$ out! But they'll recover…I think. Also, please let me know what you think of Hanzo and Zachary. I couldn't resist throwing in that bit about Americans being entitled and have a sense of superiority about them. I found it funny, and I hope you guys are enjoying the story. So remember to review and let us know what you think. So enjoy, and take care everybody!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Naruto…**

 **Warning: This chapter is the first of many to contain what some may consider is an 'excessive' amount of cursing. I personally am not insulted by curse words, but I can see how some people are. If I offend anyone, that is not my intention and as a matter of fact, please leave a review or PM telling me what part specifically offended you. Or just tell me if the amount of cursing is too large for you. This chapter is a guinea pig. It is a test to see how much cursing is too much for the readers, but for that to work, I need to hear from you guys about it! Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 6: Old Enemy or New Friend?

Shikamaru walked through the Nara compound forest, pushing a wheelbarrow along the path, a shovel over his shoulder. He was replaying the conversation with his wife that he had with her over this idea in his head. _More like an argument._ And what bothered Shikamaru was that even though he was right, he agreed with her entirely and was completely fine with being wrong in this case.

" _Why do you have to get him? Of all people? From what you've told me, he won't be any help. He'll try to kill you."_

" _It's been eighteen years. I doubt he even remembers who I am. And if he does, he's probably mellowed out."_

Eighteen long years. _Thank the Gods I know this forest so well, or else no one would ever know where he was._ Shikamaru was glad that only he, Naruto, Sakura, Temari, Yamato and Kakashi were present for the conversation. Even though he had an IQ of 200, it baffled him to think that this was the right action to take. It was an incredibly stupid decision.

 **The Previous Day**

Shikamaru looked around the room, and saw his friends. They had lost many people, close friends and family members, and now, the Sixth Hokage had called a meeting. Shikamaru waited for him to speak, but was holding his wife's hand, hoping that it would calm her. Baki had been the closest thing to a father she had. He was hard on them as genin, but he was always there. He was the one who walked her down the aisle after all. Shikamaru had figured that she wouldn't want to do that, the idea of someone giving her away would be too insulting to her. But she wanted it, because it meant something to her and she wanted Baki to be the one to do it. Kakashi stepped forward, and cleared his throat.

"Yesterday, we were attacked by reanimated shinobi, as well as a collective of ten individuals who had a mission to eliminate specific people in the Leaf Village. Their master, the one who summoned them all is a man named...was a man named Tadashi Hatake. He was my brother." The room got eerily quiet, which had a haunting effect on those present considering that everyone was silent beforehand. But somehow, the room had gotten quieter than the dead silence it was at before. It was almost as if the entire world had stopped moving for a few seconds as the information sunk into the brains of those present in the room.

"So I'm organizing a large squad to go and find this group and eliminate them. I've compiled descriptions of all the known members of this group, based off everyone's reports of the invasion, their experiences fighting these ninjas beforehand, and numerous facts and descriptions from the bingo book. Yamato, I leave their introductions to you." Captain Yamato walked forward and pointed at the projector behind him.

"First up, is Kakuzu, a missing-nin from Takigakure, and a former member of Akatsuki. He was given a mission to assassinate the First Hokage, but after failing, he was imprisoned. However, he escaped and joined Akatsuki. He was killed during a fight with him and his partner. He is known to steal the hearts of his opponents and use them to prolong his life. He able to use all the chakra natures due to the hearts he obtains. And he is responsible for Iruka's death." Shikamaru looked at Naruto, who fists were clenched tightly. Iruka was the first one to care about Naruto. Because of him, all the Rookie Nine were able to become as powerful as they are. He was always there for them, cheering them on, teaching them both in and out of the classroom. The man's death was a blow felt by the entire village.

"Next up, is Zabuza Momochi. A former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He is a highly skilled ninja, both with a blade and with jutsu, and his partner, Haku Yuki, who is a kekkei-genkai user. His ability to isolate one member and killed them easily is dangerous, so they shouldn't be fought unless there are three members at least. They are a very lethal pair, and all attempts to subdue them should happen when they're separated." Yamato pressed a button on his remote control, and the picture changed to Lady Chiyo.

"Lady Chiyo. She was a renowned Sand shinobi, skilled in the use of combat puppets and medicine. She assisted Sakura Haruno in the defeat of Sasori of the Red Sand, her grandson. She gave her life reviving the fifth Kazekage. Her partner in this attack was Hayate Gekko, a former Leaf shinobi. He is very skilled with a sword, and was responsible for the death of Baki, as well as placing his former lover, Yugao Uzuki in the hospital. Kimimaro Kaguya was a former henchman for Orochimaru, and he has a kekkei-genkai that allows him to use his bones as weapons. He is an incredibly fast warrior, and was extremely loyal to his former master. Both Rock Lee and Gaara have said he is among their toughest fights. Rin Nohara, who was a former member of Team Minato was one of the ninja who both the Sixth Hokage and myself faced off against. She is incredibly strong, and very proficient in the use of jutsu. It seems that she never leaves her master's side, so she is going to be one of the harder ones to eliminate." Kakashi cringed at the captain's word choice. Yamato sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"And now we get to hard ones. Due to an order by the Third Hokage, most of the information regarding Tadashi Hatake was destroyed after his apparent death. But Kakashi has filled me in on a lot of the information about him, and he is a very powerful ninja, if not the most powerful of the ten. He brought all of these ninjas back to life, as well as the other shinobi that attacked the village. He can wield two Chidori, and is extremely fast. The next one is Hanzo Gyakusatsu. He is a highly skilled swordsman, but it is unknown what village he originally came from. Due to his skill and fighting style, there is a chance that he is from the Land of Iron. He has displayed extreme psychotic tendencies, and most of the stories and accounts about him that I've heard from underground contacts end with lots of spilled blood. And the final person on this list is a highly unknown individual. His name is Zachary Miller, a foreigner who is unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and he has a weapon that can fire metal stakes at high speeds. He is incredibly skilled with this weapon, and is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat. So, these are our targets, and the squad is going to be selected and dispatched in a week. I'll turn the plan over to Shikamaru now." Shikamaru stood up, and after a reassuring squeeze from his wife, and he walked to the front of the room.

"The plan is this. The first squad will head out and find these ninja, report the location of their base to the Leaf and Sand Villages, and attempt to kill them. The second squad will remain here and lead the repairs. After they are done, or the village can handle itself while they're gone, this second squad will head out and regroup with the first, and then both squad will eliminate these ninjas. The first squad is going to be split into four three-man teams, with a fifth two-man team. Each team will have two specific targets in mind. We defeated their army, so there are only ten of them left. And they would have to stick close together because all but three are reanimated ninja. The first team is Kakashi, Ino, and Choji. Your targets are Kai-Ji and Rin. The second team is Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke. You're going to go after Zabuza and Haku. Temari and myself are going to take down Hanzo and Kakuzu. Kiba, Rock Lee and Gaara will eliminate Zachary Miller and Kimimaro. Neji, you, Sakura and Kankuro are aiming to take out Lady Chiyo and Hayate. That leaves the other two teams. Shino, you're in charge of the first one. It'll be made up of you, Hinata, Tenten, Izumo and Kotetsu. The final team is Jugo, Suigetsu, Karin, Matsuri, with Yamato leading. Everyone's place in this mission has been decided based on their status in the village, tracking skills, combat skills and medical skills. Those who are staying behind can protect the village and help with repairs, as well as keep the government running. Any questions?" Ino rose her hand.

"How come it's only you and Temari?"

"Because we need people to stay back at the village to help set it up, and there aren't enough of us to fight these threats. I wasn't going to put the strain on any two people, because that would be wrong. I won't ask someone to do something I myself am not willing to do." Ino nodded, and sat back down.

"Any others? No? Then you're all dismissed." Shikamaru held up his hand.

"I need to keep Captain Yamato, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Temari for a quick minute. Everyone else is good to go." The others left the room, while the remaining people sat down at the table. Shikamaru took a deep breath, and Temari nodded that it was okay for him to go on. Even though they had argued about it, she supported her husband when they finally made the decision.

"There is actually going to be a third member of my team. I didn't want to tell everyone because I didn't want them getting angry about him. He was a former enemy of the Hidden Leaf, but I think that he will be open to helping us now. I'm going to retrieve him after we're done here." Naruto leaned back and thought about it.

"Who is it Shikamaru?" The shadow user sighed and leaned back in his own chair.

"It's a drag, but…" A huff brought Shikamaru out of his daydream. He stopped and looked around. There was a stag in front of him, and it huffed again. He realized that the deer had been watching him, wondering what he was doing. And he knew that where the most of them gathered, was where he needed to go. He kept looking around, until he saw a patch of grass that was out of place. It wasn't natural, a perfect circle of new grass, or at least newer compared to the rest of the forest. Almost as if someone had dug a grave eighteen years ago. Shikamaru lifted his shovel, and smirked. _I buried this asshole, and now I need his help. Temari will never let me hear the end of it._ He laughed at that. And then a sobering thought hit him. _He won't let me hear the end of it either._

"What a drag."

 _Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow._ Hidan kept trying to blink to get the dirt out of his eye, but it wasn't working that well. Because every time he opened his eye, more dirt got in it. But it passed the time. The endless eternity that he spent in this hellhole. The immortal snickered at his own joke. Or at least tried to snicker. He tried laughing early on, but then dirt just got stuck in his mouth and he hadn't gotten it out yet. He felt something on his face. He opened his eye, and more dirt got in it, but he could slightly pick out some movement. It was a spider, or a beetle. Something was crawling on his eyelid. It looked at him, perplexed to find a human down here probably. _Hey little guy. How are you?_ Hidan knew that the beetle couldn't hear his thoughts, but it made him feel more comfortable if he pretended that it could. _I know. Weird to find a human down here with you little shitheads, right?_ The beetle stopped looking and continued his journey across the cultist's face, eventually digging a small little tunnel and disappearing from Hidan's sight. _No, dammit! Come back! I didn't mean it! Please! Come back!_ But the beetle was long gone. He could see the tunnel it dug. _Wait a fucking minute. I can see the tunnel. How?_ And that's when he heard a muffled voice.

"What a drag." _Who is that? Is someone there?_ And that's when he was blinded by the light. He spat out the dirt and screamed in pain. Someone had dug him up, but after not seeing the sun in Jashin knows how long, it was extremely agonizing.

"Fucking Jashin! What the fuck man! I've been fucking down here in the dark forever and you fucking blind the shit out of me like that!? What the hell man?! Give me a fucking warning, holy shit!" Shikamaru looked down at the squinting, silver haired head in the ground. _He hasn't changed a bit._ He bent over and grabbed Hidan by the hair.

"OW! Hey, that fucking hurts man! What the hell?! You can't just go grabbing people by the hair like they're a fucking yo-yo! That's not how the goddamn world works! What kind of insensitive asshat do you have…"

"I had a feeling you would be the same as before. Damn, I love it when I'm right." That voice stopped Hidan's little rant. _That voice._ Hidan waited for his eyes to adjust to the light, and when he opened them, he saw that face. The face that put him down there so long ago. The two looked at each other. Hidan looked at him, and felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He couldn't put his finger on it though, and it was quickly replaced with an emotion he was much better acquainted with.

"What the fuck do you want, dickface?" Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh out loud. Despite what had happened in the village recently, this seemed extraordinarily funny to him. Here was Hidan, cursing and pissed at the world, seeing the face that had stuck him in a hole for eighteen years. He still looked the exact same as before, only covered in dirt and grime. And his vocabulary was still curse ridden enough to make a sailor feel uncomfortable. But he was only a head. An angry, loud bodiless head. Shikamaru had the urge to perform a monologue from Hamlet, but pushed it to the back of his mind.

"What the fuck are you laughing at shithead?" Hidan watched as the boy, no man, in front of him couldn't contain his laughter. He felt little, almost pathetic. But that feeling quickly vanished.

"I will fucking kill you, you little shit!"

"Really? You think you can?"

"Give me a fucking chance and I will tear you apart so badly that even Jashin will ask me to stop! And then I'll keep fucking going! And I will rip you open and fucking wear your intestines to a motherfucking aerobics class! I will fucking swim laps in a pool of your blood, you fucking, piece of shit, dick eating, ass munching, cock gobbling, bitch ass, piece of fucking shit, heathen fucktoy, ass bitch, shit! Fuck! Fucking shit! Jashin-Fucking-Dammit! FUCK!" Halfway through his rant, Hidan lost sight of its intended purpose and was just cursing at the world by the end of it. But it was starting to annoy Shikamaru, and he wanted to have fun with the head. He gently lowered him back down into the hole, and once he hit the bottom, Hidan's tirade stopped.

"What are you doing?" Hidan noticed his voice somehow changed. He didn't like how it sounded, it sounded like a mouse. Timid, maybe even a little afraid.

"Well, I was going to let you out of time out, but your mood hasn't improved, so I'll just put you back." He picked up the shovel, and began filling the hole with dirt. Hidan smirked.

"Ha! Yeah right! Like that will scare me! I've been down here for so long, it doesn't bother me! Go ahead! Do it! I won't have to look at your ugly ass face anymore!" Hidan started laughing like a psychopath, and Shikamaru was also laughing. _He thinks I'm bluffing._ As more dirt filled the hole, Hidan's laughter slowly petered out. He was no longer happy, or pissed. Hidan felt that same emotion from earlier, and he remembered what it was called now. _Fear._ Hidan began to panic as the dirt got higher and higher.

"Kid? You still there? This shit isn't funny anymore! Kid, stop! It's not fucking funny! Stop this shit right now! I'm not fucking joking! Kid, please stop! Please! Stop it! Please don't put me back! I'm sorry! Please! I'm begging you, don't do this to me! Please!" Shikamaru stopped shoveling, and felt satisfaction. And immediately felt the urge to suppress it. Why should he be feeling that good about torturing another human being? This man killed Asuma-Sensei. And yet, Shikamaru knew that his old mentor and friend wouldn't like what was going on here. He stopped and peered over the edge of the hole and looked down. He saw Hidan's head at the bottom, looking up at him, and if he didn't know any better, Shikamaru would have sworn he saw a few tears on his face, and fear in his eyes. Hidan looked up at Shikamaru, his eyes watering.

"Please. Don't do this to me again. I'm begging you. Don't leave me down here alone. I can't do it. _Please_." Shikamaru began removing the dirt and picked up the head, gentler this time, and not by the hair.

"So, are you going to behave?" Hidan hated how cowed he sounded. _Jashin must be so disappointed in me._ But over the course of however long he was down there, Hidan had begged his god, and recently, _any_ god to send him some form of company. Being alone in the pitch black darkness was terrifying to him. Hidan had wished he could die, because it meant the suffering would be over. He didn't like this kind of pain. The pain that came from being alone.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, where's the rest of you?" _How could he ask such a stupid fucking question?!_

"In the fucking hole where you left it, asshead! What, did you…" Shikamaru gave him a look, and Hidan shut his mouth.

"Where is the rest of you?"

"In the hole."

"Okay. Stay here, and I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"To get the rest of you."  
"You'll be back?" Shikamaru was prepared to jump into the hole, but the sound of the immortal's voice stopped him. He turned and saw the terror in Hidan's eyes, and he felt something for the man that he never thought he would. He felt pity, and a small part of him wondered if he should have dug him up sooner. Eighteen years, alone underground was a severe punishment. Shikamaru shook his head clean of his thoughts. Hidan deserved his sentence, but he served his time, and now he was allowed out. Being free was a very different thing, however. Shikamaru walked over and patted the head.

"I'm just going down into the hole. I'm not going to leave you out here. I promise." Hidan nodded, or did the bodiless equivalent. And he watched as the shadow user jumped into the hole. If he had a throat, Hidan was sure he would have gulped. And Hidan didn't notice until the man came out that he had been chewing his lip, nervous about being left alone. After finding all the pieces of Hidan's body, Shikamaru placed them in a wheelbarrow and headed out of the Nara forest. Shikamaru walked through the woods, pushing a wheelbarrow full of body parts towards his home. He looked up at the beautiful sunset, and realized that his family would be at the house. _What a drag._ He stopped and set the backpack down on the ground and opened it.

"Why the fuck did we stop? You have to take a piss?"

"You curse a lot you know that?"  
"No shit. And I thought you were the brains of the operation." Shikamaru began ruffling through the bag, searching for the cigarettes inside.

"I can take you back, you know." Hidan shut his mouth at that. _Why am I so weak? Why am I so afraid of him and afraid of being alone? I'm Jashin's chosen follower! I shouldn't be scared._ Hidan was brought out of his thoughts because he started coughing. Shikamaru was smoking a cigarette, and holding a blue plastic lighter in one hand.

"I don't remember you smoking."  
"I didn't. Not until you killed him."  
"Oh." Hidan didn't know what to say. He figured he should apologize, but truth be told, he didn't think it would be taken seriously, or given seriously for that matter. He would have done it to be polite.

"How long ago was that?"  
"Was what? You killing my mentor? About eighteen years." Hidan was shocked by this news. _Eighteen years? I was in that fucking hole for eighteen years?_

"You were gone from the world for a long time."  
"Yeah. I've seen you've grown up a bit."  
"And you haven't aged at all."  
"I'm immortal. It kinda comes with the territory, shithead."

"When we get to my house, you're going to need to keep the language to a minimum."

"Why?"  
"Because I don't want my family having to hear you say things like that."

"You have a family kid?"  
"Yeah. A wife, son and daughter."

"Congratulations." Shikamaru did a slight double take. Was he being serious? Hidan noticed the look.

"I'll be honest. I don't know why you took me out of that hole, but I don't care. I'm out of it. And if I have to be nice to you so I don't go back, I'll fuckin...I'll be nice."

"You have changed, Hidan. The old you wouldn't have been this kind. I kind of like the new model."  
"Fucking bite me, dipshit."

"And he's back. Let's go." Shikamaru picked him up and placed him in the wheelbarrow, and they continued their journey.

"So, back when we fought, kid…"  
"Yeah?"  
"Did you really switch your blood with Kakuzu's?"  
"Yeah." Hidan felt a pit in his stomach. Or would have if he was attached to it. Despite his partner being a dick, he was worried about him.

"So, I killed him?"

"No, one of his hearts saved him."  
"Is he still alive?"

"No. He died that day. And then during the war, someone brought him back to life to fight us."  
"Some fucker did that to him?!" Hidan started to get angry. _How dare someone bring him back from the dead as a puppet!_

"He looked for you actually." Hidan was a bit surprised by this.

"What?"

"Kakuzu wondered where you were. The person brought back every member of Akatsuki. And he was pretty happy to see that you weren't there."  
"Of course that shithead was pleased. He didn't like me and I hated him."  
"He was happy because it meant you were still alive." Hidan was even more shocked by this. _He was happy I was still alive? Maybe he did like me after all…_

"Actually, that's kind of why I dug you up."

"Why?"

"Because someone else brought him back. And I need help stopping him."  
"What makes you think I'll help you?" Shikamaru stopped and picked up the head.

"Because you worked together, so you know his style, his jutsu, and his abilities."

"I won't help you at all."

"I'm not asking for your help. He is."  
"What do you mean?"  
"He's someone's puppet. A slave to a master. He isn't resting in peace. And you two were friends, despite the attempt to hide it. You both cared about each other, and you had each other's backs. So, you're not helping me. You're helping him." Hidan opened his mouth to argue, but kept it closed. Shikamaru took this as the conversation being over so he put him back down and continued throughout the forest.

"Shikamaru."

"Yeah?"

"Check the robes. I think before you blew my arm off, I may have snagged your lighter." Shikamaru checked, and sure enough, there was Asuma's lighter. He flicked it open and lit it, smiling as it sparked and the flame emerged. After closing it and pocketing it, the unlikely pair continued until they reached the back porch of Shikamaru's house. Shikamaru could see his wife talking with someone, and when she saw him out the window she headed outside. Shikamaru saw Temari, Sakura and Naruto come outside. Unfortunately, Ino and Choji came with them. _No. Not them. They didn't need to know yet._ He stopped moving, and watched them walk towards him. And Hidan saw the sadness in his eyes. _Aren't they his friends? Oh shit. I recognize them. Then that means…_ And in that moment, Hidan pitied the pineapple haired man. Shikamaru saw in his two best friends' eyes something he wished to never see because of him. In Ino's eyes, hurt. And Choji's, fury.

"Shikamaru! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Choji, calm down!"

"No, you can't dig him up! You should have left him down there! I thought you were supposed to be smart! What made you think it was a good idea?!"

"Because Choji, I need his help. He can help us stop them."  
"We can take them ourselves!"  
"No we can't! You saw what happened! The village was attacked. They killed our friends! Yugao is still in the hospital! Iruka-Sensei is dead! Baki is dead! Genma is paralyzed! We need all the help we can get!"

"Then get help from the other villages! But not him! He's the one who killed Asuma-Sensei! He doesn't deserve to be out of the ground!"

"Choji, please. I know exactly how you feel! But we need to be smart about this. He has information and we could use it."

"He'll just try to kill us all!"  
"He's changed Choji!"

"How?!"

"I don't know, but the man I dug up was not the same one as the one I buried."

"I don't believe that, and I'm surprised you do! You would have to be an idiot to fall for that!"

"Choji, if anyone is going to yell at my husband, it'll be me. Now back up." Temari stepped between her husband and his best friend. Choji didn't want to back down, but he cared about Shikamaru too much. He wasn't going to harm his best friend's marriage. But as they were arguing, no one noticed as Ino slowly left the group, and walked over to the wheelbarrow. Hidan was so occupied with the conflict, that he didn't notice either until her shadow was over him. He looked up and felt the urge to gulp again.

SMACK!

"Ow! Fuck!" Everyone turned and watched as Hidan's head fell out of the wheelbarrow and onto the ground. And Ino was on him in a second. Shikamaru went to stop her, but she just looked back at him with those eyes. And Shikamaru was powerless to do anything.

"Ino..." The tears were flowing down her face, and she could hardly contain her sobs. She picked Hidan up off the ground and looked him in the eyes. Hidan was terrified, not because of what she was going to do, but because he didn't know what to do. He couldn't do anything, and yet, he felt a strange feeling again. Something he hadn't felt for a long time. An even longer time than since he last felt fear. Something he hadn't felt since he left his village. Not since...since _she_ left his village. Hidan looked into the blue eyes of the girl in front of him and he felt like he should hold her in his arms and tell her it will all be okay. And that's when it hit him. Hidan regretted his actions. He genuinely felt bad for what he did to these children. Sure, they were skilled ninjas, and war was war, but he killed their teacher, their mentor, their friend. He took him from them, and Hidan felt awful about it. So awful in fact that he felt his eyes tear up. Ino looked him dead in the eyes.

"Why?" And that's when Hidan started weeping.

"I don't know. I don't know why. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Everyone was taken aback by this. For those who had been there, they didn't know this Hidan. The Hidan they knew was a monster, a serial killer cultist who murdered their friend. This Hidan...was different. Ino focused and decided to make sure. She invaded his mind, and saw it all. She saw everything. Hidan murdering his family and friends. Saw him killing people in the name of Jashin. His time with Akatsuki and Kakuzu. His fight with Asuma, and then losing to Shikamaru. She saw the eighteen years he spent in the hole. And she probed a bit farther. She found what she was looking for. A spirit version of Hidan, who was curled up in a ball, sobbing and crying. He was begging for forgiveness and mercy.

"Please. I'm so sorry. Please. Forgive me. I'm begging you. Please!" Ino felt a slight tug at her heart. He really was sorry.

"Please, don't leave me! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I only did it because I thought it would make you happy! I didn't want to lose you!" She heard the terror in his voice, and that's when she saw it. A ghostly figure, an image created by Hidan in his mind, of long blonde hair, green pants and a purple top. Hidan was reaching out to her, but she just kept walking away from him. Ino was watching a memory from the immortal's life.

"NO! Come back! Don't leave me alone! Please! I'm sorry! Please!" The figure disappeared and Ino looked back at Hidan. He flinched as the woman slammed the door shut, and he fell back to his knees and screamed. The amount of anguish, pain, sorrow, and loss in his voice scared her. Whoever this woman was, she crushed Hidan. She destroyed him, and destroyed his heart. But what happened next terrified Ino. Hidan grew quiet, and slowly looked up in the direction that the woman had left. Ino walked in front of him and saw his eyes. In those eyes, she saw what being alone created. She saw the malice, rage, sadistic and psychotic look of a man that she was more familiar with. And when he smiled, the change was complete. He was staring Ino in the eyes, and this was the Hidan she remembered. He screamed again, his voice no longer filled with pain, but madness and he stood up and charged at Ino. Ino quickly retreated from his mind. She fell back onto the grass, dropping Hidan in the process. Shikamaru caught her, and she just curled into him, her tears resumed. Hidan was still crying, but his cries had gone silent.

"Ino? What happened?"  
"He's genuine. He's not lying about being sorry. But there was something else." Ino forced herself to stop crying, and she approached Hidan. When he saw her, fear came into his eyes.

"No! Not again! Please don't! Don't go in my head! I don't want to do that again! Don't! Please!"

"I won't. But you need to tell me something. Who was she?" That stopped the group. And Hidan stopped crying. The backyard was silent, until after a few moments, they heard Hidan speak.

"She was nobody. Please don't do that again. I don't want to remember. Don't make me go back. Please."

 **He's back! And Hidan's got some secrets! This is about to get real. I hope you guys enjoyed it and now you can see how far ahead the time line is for this story. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, and please review or PM me to let me know what you like/dislike or want to see changed. So you all know, humans are social animals, and being separated from any interaction over a long period of time drives a person insane. Solitary confinement in prison, depending on the length of the stay, can permanently damage a person's mind frame. Hidan is suffering from a severe case of separation anxiety, because he's been alone for eighteen years. Doing nothing. But as you can clearly see, his problems with being alone stretch back farther than being stuck in an early grave for almost two decades. We'll delve more into that later. Enjoy, and take care everybody!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Naruto…**

 **Hello everyone! Sorry for the super late update! What happened was I heard a knock on my door, and I opened it without checking to see who it was, which is what you're never supposed to do, and then Life walked into my house, and $%*^ happened, and $%*^ got real. So here's the new chapter, and I hope you all like it, but neither myself nor Crazy are able to guarantee regular updates anymore. We're still working on both stories, but it may take us more time to crank them out. Anyway, on with the story!**

Chapter 7: Puzzle Pieces

Hidan had gone quiet, and it worried Sakura. She wanted to make sure that she was doing it right.

"Hidan?" No response.

"Hidan? You there?" Nothing.

"Hidan, I want to do this right, but I need you to help me. You have to tell me when it feels correct." Hidan leaned up, or as best as could. His head has been reattached to his body, but his arms, his right leg, and a few fingers were still not attached. He looked at Sakura, and she saw that even though his body was in terrible shape, it was nothing compared to the damage done to his mind.

"That feels right." Sakura stopped moving his left arm, and started healing it, slowly using her chakra to fuse it back into place.

"Why are you helping me?" Sakura jumped, but didn't move the arm, and looked back at Hidan's face. He had stopped crying, but she could still see the hurt in his eyes.

"Because Shikamaru is my friend, and he said that we needed you. And you're my patient, so I'll take care of you until you don't need my help anymore." It made sense that she was helping because her friend needed him, but for her to care about him because he was her patient was surprising. It touched Hidan, and he decided that he wouldn't be as difficult with her. Sakura looked outside, and sighed. Shikamaru was sitting at the outdoor table, looking out into the forest, before putting his head into his hands. Ino was sitting on the edge of the deck, still crying, with her husband comforting her. Sai might not have been the most emotional person, but he had become extremely perceptive of the emotions of those around him. It made sense, considering that he was Ibiki's right hand man. He was rubbing her back, and let her lean on him. Choji had left a few hours ago, having gotten tired of arguing with his best friend. The only other people left were Gaara and Temari. Sakura hated to watch her friends argue. To think that one man's revival could bring such chaos to the close group of friends. She was so distracted with the day's earlier events that she lost focus on healing Hidan. She was brought back to the task at hand by a wince from the dining room table's occupant.

"Oh, sorry."  
"Don't worry about it."

"Did I hurt you?"  
"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. That shit felt amazing." Even though she knew a lot about the former member of Akatsuki better, it surprised her to hear him say he liked pain. It wasn't correct for someone to enjoy pain. Pain was the body's way of alerting someone that they should stop performing an action or that there is danger. It's a survival mechanism, and for someone to not only ignore the warning, but enjoy it and actively seek it out was worrying. She continued working but she was really intrigued by the man.

"What do you mean?"  
"Huh?" Hidan looked at her with confusion in his violet eyes.

"Why do you say that pain feels great?"

"Because I fucking like enjoy pain."

"Why?"

"You ever heard the phrase, 'curiosity killed the cat?' I just fucking like it. Why do you like asking questions so Jashin-damn much?"

"Because I enjoy learning. And it makes it easier for me if I get to know my patients."

"Well, let's just say I enjoy the feeling of pain. It's a reminder."

"It reminds you of what?"

"Fucking being alive." Sakura didn't know his life story, but she knew enough about people to know when someone was evading a question. But while he wasn't answering the question, she felt like he gave her an answer to another question. He was immortal, so he would live forever. He had all the time in the world, and part of what made life exciting was that you only had a finite amount of time. The danger and speed of life was what made it enjoyable. So, in a way, Hidan wasn't alive. He was sitting on the side of the stream, watching life flow right past him. It sounded incredibly sad to Sakura, someone who will always be alone, because everyone they've ever loved will die and they will continue living.

"Stop frowning. It's a shitty look for you." Sakura didn't realize that she was frowning, and tried to smile for him, but she couldn't complete the look.

"Sorry, it's just...sad. To lose everyone you love, everyone you've ever cared for, and just keep going...It's sad."

"Not really, you get used to that shit. I've been alive for forty years, and I don't fucking miss anyone."

"No one?"

"Not at all."

"Then who was that woman Ino said you were screaming about?" Hidan's smirk left his face, and he got quiet.

"No one."

"So why did she matter if she was no one?"

"You done yet? I haven't been able to stand for almost two decades, I don't want to fucking wait another ten years until that happens." Sakura decided to continue working, not wanting to upset him anymore. It was silent for the rest of the operation as both parties stopped asking questions. Because as much as he can try to hide it, there was nowhere that Hidan could hide the pain in his eyes so Sakura couldn't find it.

Shikamaru removed his head from his hands and looked out into the forest. It was really late at night. Ino and Sai had left a few hours ago, with Ino giving Shikamaru a very tight and long hug. She was still crying, and the head of the Nara Clan just hugged her and rubbed her back. Temari sat down near her husband, and kissed his cheek. He had been smoking again, and while it bothered her, she knew it wasn't his fault. She laid her head on his shoulder, and tried her best to comfort her husband.

"Shikamaru, I know that you've thought this through, and this is the course that you know is the smartest and best move."

"But I don't. I can think it through, come up with 200 different strategies and plans. But I don't know how this will end."

"You can't predict the future, Shikamaru. It's a fact."

"But I'm supposed to get as close to it as possible. And the only thing I can guarantee is that people will die. And it's my job to think ahead to prevent that. And I can't come up with anything besides digging him up to help prevent that. I don't know how to help everyone. And I hate that I can't figure it out." Shikamaru stood up and walked to the railing on his deck. He lit a cigarette, a habit he had relearned to Temari's disgust. She only allowed it because of the stressful times ahead, but she would put a stop to it after they were done dealing with their problems at the moment. She walked over to her husband and hugged him from behind.

"I have faith in you, and I know that you'll be able to make everything work out. You're incredibly smart and I know that you'll…"

"Oh my God!" Shikamaru and Temari jumped. They heard a shatter coming from the kitchen and Sakura's scream frightened both of them. Gaara was already up and opening the door, and Shikamaru entered after him, followed quickly by Temari. Sakura was against the kitchen sink, breathing heavily, and there were broken plates on the ground. Hidan had collapsed on the other side of the table, and he was furious. His left arm was severed at the elbow, and his right leg was bent at a very odd angle.

"Ow! Are you fucking kidding me?! What the fucking shit is this horseshit?! That fucking hurt a lot! Can you do anything…" He was cut off by the vast amount of sand that had formed around his body, particularly his mouth. Shikamaru looked at his brother-in-law, who looked absolutely calm and composed, which terrified the room's occupants. He only looked like that when he was younger.

"Gaara! Stop!"

"Sakura, did he hurt you?"

"Not at all. I was finished, and he tried to stand, and fell off the table." Gaara's sand didn't move from the immortal's body though. Shikamaru put his hand on the Kazekage's shoulder.

"Gaara, let him go. We need him in one piece." Gaara looked at him, and after taking a breath, he slowly released the former member of Akatsuki. Hidan attempted to kick and push the sand away, and Shikamaru noticed the terror in the violet eyes of the man. Hidan slid to the other side of the room, his eyes wide and the room was filled with the sound of him panting. _He's terrified. What have I done to him?_ Shikamaru slowly walked forward, and once Hidan noticed, he tried to back away more, his mind not registering that he was already against the wall.

"No! Get the fuck away from me! Don't come any closer!" Shikamaru took one more step closer, and Hidan grabbed a scalpel from the ground, and swung it at him. He jumped back, and the sand rose up again.

"Gaara! Don't!" The Kazekage looked at his sister, who held up her hand. He wasn't the same man who killed Asuma, he almost seemed like a terrified animal, lashing out in fear. Temari could see his adam's apple slowly bobbing as he was gulping, and she had never seen someone so terrified before. _Eighteen years of isolation and confinement underground destroyed him._ She slowly walked forward, as once she got close, Hidan started swinging again.

"I will fucking kill you! Don't fucking touch me!" He swung too hard and fell over, the scalpel sliding out of his grasp. He started reaching for it, but he couldn't grasp it. And that's when Temari surprised everyone in the room. She picked up Hidan, and hugged him. Hidan thrashed a bit, and then ceased his movements. He felt like he should be fighting it, but he couldn't move. It was a foreign feeling that was rising in his chest. It reminded him of when his mother would cuddle him as a child, telling him that no matter what happened, no matter what his father said, she still loved him. And his tears started flowing again.

"Shh. It's okay. Shhh. Don't worry Hidan. Everything will be okay. It's okay. You're safe and nothing will happen to you." Hidan took his remaining arm and wrapped it around her. He felt like a child, being comforted after a particularly bad nightmare.

"You promise?"

"I promise. I'm here and nothing will happen to you."

"You promise? You won't leave me, right?"

"I'm not going anywhere. Everything will be okay." Shikamaru remembered seeing her comfort their own children when they were younger. Hidan wasn't a dangerous person anymore, he was damaged, and this was their chance to change him. To help him heal, not only from what happened in that hole, but also from the problems of the past. For a long time, Shikamaru had believed that evil existed in the world, and it would manifest itself in evil people. And Hidan was one of the evilest people he had ever met. But over the years, the shadow user had thrown away that childish view on the world. There weren't evil people, just people who did evil things for their own goals. Or people who were only copying what they saw in the world. Hidan wasn't evil, but something evil happened to him early in his life, and he only did the things he did because that's what he was taught. And now, they could show him a different view on the world. That was Shikamaru's goal now. To heal the immortal man.

The Next Day

Hidan stood in front of the village gates, and looked outside. He was wearing a long cloak, and there was a triple-bladed scythe on his back. He felt a little more complete now, with the coil wrapped around his stomach and the two retractable spikes on his hips. He looked at the group gathered behind him, and frowned. He remembered some of them, and others he didn't know who they were. They were all saying their good byes, hugging and kissing loved ones, and telling them how they would see them again soon. After listening to the mission assignment and the objectives, Hidan knew this mission wasn't that easy. He had always felt connected with his God, especially recently more than ever before, and he knew that a lot of blood would be spilled before this mission was completed. Hidan felt a tug on his cloak, and looked down. There was a little girl, with black hair in a spiky pony tail looking up at him.

"You're Hidan, aren't you?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I'm Shikami."

"Well, hi."

"Are you going with my mommy and daddy?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Are you going to help them?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"That's a nice thing for you to do. You're definitely an angel."

"I'm a what now?"

"I heard my mommy and daddy talking and they said that you were immortal. And angels don't hold grudges. You're not mad at daddy for burying you, and you're helping him and you're immortal. That makes you an angel. Hey, where are your wings?" Hidan didn't know where this conversation was going. _I mean, I guess I'm a kind of angel. I serve Jashin faithfully, but I'm definitely not a good angel._

"Sometimes angels don't get wings. I'm one of those kinds."

"That's cool. Thanks for being their guardian angel. I want to be like you when I grow up." She hugged his leg, and Hidan didn't know how to react. He awkwardly patted her on the head, hoping that she would let go of him. But she didn't. He felt her hand pull something out of his pocket, and retreated a bit. In her hands, was a chocolate bar.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Not anymore! I got it, fair and square!"

"What happened to being an angel?! Angel's don't pickpocket someone!"

"I said when I grow up, not now!"

"You little thief!"

"It's mine now!" And to emphasize her point, she quickly unwrapped it, and chomped down on it. Hidan just gave up and groaned. He looked at her and couldn't help but smile a little at the look of joy on her face.

"I take it you like chocolate?"

"Yep, but mommy and daddy don't let me have a lot." That gave Hidan an idea. He knelt over and waved her to come closer. She slowly inched towards him, her eyes warily watching him the whole time.

"How about I bring you back some chocolate? But we'll keep it between you and me?" Shikami's eyes lite up.

"Yeah! That's a great idea! Thank you!" She leapt forward and hugged him, throwing him off balance. Hidan laughed a bit, and hugged her back. Shikamaru looked over and noticed what was going on, and smiled. Something had changed in Hidan. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was a clear as day.

"Hey dad?" Shikamaru turned and looked at his son.

"What's up son?" Shikadai didn't say anything, and he just stared at his father.

"Shikadai?" Shikamaru was surprised when his son hugged him and held him tightly.

"You're coming home right dad?"

"Of course, son."

"You promise?"

"I'm coming back home. And when I get back, you can introduce me to that special girl. Deal?"

"Yeah, dad. You bet." The two members of the Nara clan separated and Shikamaru smiled. He looked at everyone else, and took a deep breath. It was always hard to say good bye, but it was even harder when those final moments had to end.

"Everybody ready?" The members of the pursuit squad nodded and stepped away. Kiba looked at Tamaki, and he smiled as he hugged her good bye. Tamaki hugged him back and kissed his cheek. When he let go, Shikamaru noticed the tears on his cheeks. Tamaki knelt down to Akamaru, who was looking away. The dog still hadn't fully accepted her, but he tolerated her. She hugged the canine, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else.

"You're the only one who loves him as much as I do. Please, Akamaru, bring him home to me. Bring him home to us. Please?" Akamaru relented and licked her, causing her to laugh a little. The dog and his best friend walked off into the forest, quickly followed by Neji and Naruto after saying good bye to Hinata. Ino and Sai kissed their son, and walked away. Shikamaru took his place in front of the group, and smiled.

"Well, this is it everyone. Split up, and find them. Tonight we make camp together and tomorrow, we head to the Village of Hot Springs. Any questions?" At the silence, Shikamaru smiled.

"Then let's move out!" The five groups scattered, and Temari took the lead with Hidan behind her and Shikamaru bringing up the rear. Hidan noticed that Shikamaru's pace had slowed a bit and turned to find the shadow user looking back at the village.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?" Shikamaru turned back and Hidan noticed the tear in the man's eye.

"Nothing." Hidan huffed and continued traveling. Shikamaru looked back, and grimaced. _I'm so proud of you both._

 **Well, that's awesome! One theme we wanted to stick with is Kishimoto has written plenty of villains for Naruto, and almost all of them seem evil in the beginning, but he shows the audience that they aren't evil, they've just had evil things happen to them. No one is born evil, but they do evil things, either in the service of others, or because that's what they've been taught and that's how they see the world. Or they do them as a necessary step for the greater good. So we're going to try to stick to that. Hope you guys are okay with that. Remember, review and let us know if you think that's a good idea, or if you absolutely hate it! Enjoy, and take care everybody!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Naruto…**

 **First, a word from our sponsors! Rusty's AutoParts! Rusty's, servicing your ride for 12 years! Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of Mutant Bash TV, where carnage is King! We have an exciting episode for you…Not really, sorry JK, but your show will have to wait. And now back to the regularly scheduled program. (Prizes to first person who can name what that's from.)**

Chapter 8: Forgiveness

Shikamaru looked around, searching for any sign of the enemy. It was getting late, and the camp was already set up. No one had found any clue of the rogue ninja, and that was what confused the shadow user. He would have figured that Neji's Byakugan or Kiba's incredible sense of smell would have been able to detect their targets. Even Kakashi's ninken had a hard time locating anything. Shikamaru looked out into the sunset and sighed. _Where could they have gone?_ He had climbed the tree in hopes of spotting some clue above the tree line, but he had no such luck. He groaned and cupped his hands. _If I were on the run from the Leaf, where would I go to hide? I would try to avoid the Hidden Stone Village for sure, because none in their group have any friends in that land. They attacked Gaara in broad daylight twice, and he survived, so the Land of Wind is out of the picture._ He focused harder, ignoring the sounds that the forest made, and the noises from his friends setting up camp below him. _Those ninja were reanimated, that's Orochimaru's jutsu. So either he taught it to Kai-Ji, or he was spied on. Either way, he was nearby Orochimaru. But the Sound Village is too obvious, however, it would have to be somewhere nearby. The Hidden Cloud Village?_ Shikamaru heard someone land on the branch he was sitting on and opened his eyes. Standing three feet away, was Hidan. Who was glaring down at him.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm thinking."

"No shit, captain obvious. What are you thinking about?" Shikamaru groaned again, and closed his eyes, determined to ignore the distractions and work through the problem. It became very hard to do when Hidan kept pestering him.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hello? Hey. Hey. Hey." Shikamaru squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to ignore the immortal man-child in front of him. Hidan was getting more and more annoyed. He hated it when someone ignored him, almost as if he didn't exist. Kakuzu did that to him plenty when they were together, and Hidan would get so infuriated. He bent over and tapped Shikamaru's head.

"Hey, dude. I asked you…" It was at that moment that Shikamaru's eyes snapped open and he grabbed Hidan's hand. He twisted and darted past the silver-haired man, and pinned the limb behind Hidan's back. He forced Hidan against the tree, and after taking one of Asuma's knives from its holster, he stabbed it through Hidan's hand, effectively sticking him to the tree.

"Ow! What the fuck, man?!"

"Don't. Ever. Touch me. Is that understood?"

"The fuck is your problem?!"

"Just because I dug you up, doesn't mean I won't bury you again! I need your help, but that doesn't mean that I trust you! Do you understand?!" Shikamaru was furious, both at the former Akatsuki and himself. He never lost his composure, ever. Hidan was angry, but it was slowly fading away into fear. He didn't want to get buried again, and he was terrified of this man. He didn't know why, but the feelings of helplessness and abandonment came back. Hidan tried to move, but he couldn't. He was stuck, and there was no way out of it.

"Yeah." Shikamaru took a deep breath, and removed the knife.

"Good." Hidan rubbed his hand, and quickly leapt down from the tree. Shikamaru watched him go, and sighed. _Back to the drawing board._ Zachary smiled, and aimed his spear gun. The spiky haired man was in his sights.

"And why can't I just take the shot? I could kill him and get out so easily, you know."

"Because, Hanzo has already claimed his life. Don't worry, you'll be able to kill some of the others. It's not like there will be a shortage of bloodshed."

"Yeah, good point." Zachary kept scanning the camp. But he stopped when he saw the silver-haired man staring off into the distance. He had wrapped something around his right hand. His heart stopped for a second, and he looked at his partner. The masked man was watching their back, making sure no one snuck up on them.

"Hey, Kakuzu, look at this." The man turned and looked at where the _Gaijin_ was pointing. And he saw him.

"Hidan." He clenched his fist, his knuckles whitening. Zachary noticed this, and smiled.

"You hate him that much?" Kakuzu forced himself to calm down. He couldn't go crazy, not here, not now. It wasn't what the master wanted.

"Of course. That religious nutcase left me to die. I'm going to kill him."

"How? He's immortal. It's impossible, you know."

"My hatred for him is so great, I'm sure that I can find a way." Zachary laughed and stood up. The sun was setting and they had to get back to the base before tomorrow morning. Which would be nearly impossible, considering how late they stayed out. If only they had left on time.

"Come on. Let's head back. Don't want to keep Master waiting." He hopped off the tree branch and headed home. Kakuzu was slow to stand up, and he fought to control himself. _Don't let them know._ There were very few days that Kakuzu hated having multiple hearts. But the pain of having to fight and kill his best friend was amplified with five of the beating organs inside his chest.

"You coming? I'm not going to the Master alone, you know."

"Shut up. Let's get moving."

"And he's back."

"Shut up, before I kill you."

"I bet that's what you say to all the girls." Zachary laughed and headed off into the forest. Kakuzu took one last glance at his former partner, and sighed.

"You have no idea." Kakuzu leapt after his current partner, heading home to report that the ninja were pursuing, just like they planned. Hidan looked from his hands into the trees ahead of him. He wasn't the most perceptive of ninja, but he could have sworn that he heard something. A voice. A ghost from his long and tortured past. He looked at everyone, who were sitting closer to the fire. They were talking and laughing, enjoying themselves. They looked like they belonged. They looked happy. And Hidan was jealous of them. It had been a long time since he was happy, truly happy. Sakura was laughing at Naruto, Choji, and Kiba talking about the past battles, arguing over which flavor of ramen was the best, and just generally being goofballs. Ino was lying across Sai's lap, watching him paint the sunset. She looked happy with her husband. Lee and Neji were talking about fighting styles and strategizes, while the sand siblings were eating together. Temari noticed Hidan and waved him over. He awkwardly waved back, signaling that he was okay. She shook her head and walked over to him.

"Get up."

"Why?"

"Come eat with us."

"I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll save you some just in case." Hidan nodded and watched her walk away. She reminded him of his mother. From what he heard about her, she was always protecting everyone around her. She was a mother figure to everyone. She raised her brothers by herself, with no mother to help. He liked her. Whenever she smiled at him, he felt like he was safe and that everything was going to be okay. Hidan sighed, and walked into the forest. He didn't want to be around people. He didn't want to be alone around others. They all had each other and he had no one. He was an outcast, a monster, a freak. Hidan felt his eyes sting a bit, and he bit his lip, trying in vain not to cry.

"You fucking pussy." The tears began flowing and once they started, Hidan found he was unable to stop, and hated himself more for it. _Why am I so weak now?! What the fuck is wrong with me?!_ He leaned against a tree and quieted his sobs, hoping that no one would hear his pain. Hidan pulled out his stake and extended it. _I haven't had to do this for a long time._ He slowly dragged the sharpened tip against his arm, slowly smiling as the blood came to the surface. _That's better._ He loosened his cloak, and started carving his chest. The physical pain made him feel better, it helped him forget the emotions he was feeling. Zachary hissed in pain, and quickly pulled up his sleeve. _Yep, there it is again._ Another red line going the length of his arm. _So he's doing it again._

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Kakuzu, everything's cool."

"Then hurrying up. We don't want to be late."

"God, I'm going as fast as I can, you know." Hidan aimed his stake and drove it through his leg, grunting at the glorious pain it caused him. He had always had a high pain tolerance, even before he gained his immortality. It made him feel better. It made him feel, alive. Hidan twisted the blade deeper into his leg, and moaned in satisfaction.

"I would ask if you're okay, but obviously, you're not." Hidan's eyes jerked open and looked around. He saw Sasuke staring at him, leaning against a tree. Hidan pulled his stake from his leg, and forced himself to stand.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"I don't think you and I ever met."

"Shit? Really? That's so fucking cool." Hidan rolled his eyes, and buttoned his cloak up.

"You worked with my brother, right?" Hidan looked at him, and instantly remembered.

"Itachi? Yeah, I knew him. Why?"

"Were you friends?"

"Why the fuck do you care?"

"Because I grew up without him, and I want to know more about him."

"Well, tough shit. You picked the wrong motherfucker in a cloak to talk to. If he was still alive, Kisame could probably tell you some things, but I didn't pay attention to him that much."

"Well, what was he like?"

Temari watched as Hidan walked into the woods, and shook her head. He was scarred, both emotionally and physically. She knew that he did an evil thing to her husband, but she hated seeing someone suffer so much. And from what she heard from Ino, Hidan's physical scars aren't anywhere as damaging or extensive as the ones on his heart and his mind. She got up, and climbed the tree, finding her husband still pondering on a branch. He opened his eyes, and when he saw her, he smiled.

"Hey, Temari."

"Still thinking?"

"Yeah. It's a drag, but I'm not going to stop until I've figured it out."

"Can you do me a favor?" Shikamaru involuntarily gulped. He was slightly nervous about what she was going to say. Temari never asked for a favor unless she knew he wasn't going to like it at all.

"What is it?"

"Come and eat dinner with us." Shikamaru blinked, a little surprised at the small request. He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What's the rest of it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You only ask for a favor if you know I don't want to do it. So, what's the actual request?" Temari sighed, and smiled at her husband. She should have known he would be smart enough to understand what she was about to ask.

"Afterward, go and apologize to Hidan. He's really hurt."

"Well so am I."

"Shikamaru, I understand that it will be hard to hear this, but you need to forgive him."

"Temari, how can I forgive him?!"

"Ino did."

"That's because she feels bad for him!"

"And she's also the only one who's seen his past! He's not evil!"

"Yes he is!"

"What happened to you? You used to see the good in everyone. I've seen you struggle to find a way to save someone who many believed were beyond saving, because you see the good in people. You give people a second chance, because you believed that there is no such thing as a bad person, only people who do bad things. Why is he any different?"

"Because he killed Asuma!"

"I know that! But Sasuke killed many people, and you've forgiven him! Obito killed many more people, so did Pein! And you forgave both of them! So why is this man any different! Certainly, one murder is not better or worse than another!" Shikamaru opened his mouth to argue, but he didn't have any logical response to her. The only thing that was keeping him from listening to his wife were his emotions, which even now were torn. He felt bad for Hidan and what he did to the man, but he also hated the immortal for murdering his mentor. And that's when Shikamaru realized what was wrong.

"I just…don't want to ignore the fact that he died for me." Temari looked at her husband, and immediately understood what happened. She gently embraced him, and let him cry on her shoulder.

"You won't be doing that. Asuma wouldn't want you holding onto that. Especially not if it might get people hurt."

"I don't want to forget him."

"You never will. I know that." Temari wiped the tears from her husband's cheek, and kissed him.

"Come on. Dinner's almost done." They headed down the tree, and both of began talking with their friends. Hidan looked at Sasuke, and sighed. He felt bad for Sasuke. Growing up believing his older brother was a cold-blooded murderer was hard on the boy. Hidan was instantly reminded of a silver-haired, violet eyed girl.

"Your brother and I weren't that different."

"What do you mean?"

"I killed a whole fucking lot of people in my village."

"Why?"

"Because I lost someone."

"What do you mean?" Hidan thought for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"I noticed how you stare at Sakura, and how she stares at you. Want some advice from a fucking expert in fucking up their life? Don't let her go." Sasuke stared into the violet eyes of the man sitting in front of him.

"Don't. Ever. Fucking let her go. You understand me? Because the moment that you do, you're going to fucking regret it, and life's too fucking short for regrets."

"Aren't you going to live forever? What do you know about life being too short?"

"I'm going to live with my regrets and my mistakes forever. So do something about it. Okay?"

"Yeah."  
"Itachi wouldn't want you to make a mistake like that. Either fix whatever the fuck went wrong, or finally man up, grow a fucking pair, and do something about it. Because if you don't, you're going to fucking hate yourself forever."

"Is that why you were stabbing yourself?"

"I have my own reasons for hating myself."

"Why do you hate yourself? What did you do?"

"I fucking let her go." Hidan and Sasuke stood up and walked back to the camp, neither of them saying a word. They arrived and saw everyone sitting and warming themselves by the fire. Once he saw Sakura, Sasuke left Hidan's side and walked over to her. She looked up, and her smile left.

"Sakura? Can I…speak to you for a second?" Sakura looked at her friends, and then back at her ex-husband and nodded. She stood and the two walked into the forest. Hidan watched them go, and walked over the tree he originally leaned against. Everyone was huddled around the campfire and they were just staring into the flames. The camp was silent. Hidan heard someone approaching and turned to see Shikamaru. The immortal quickly stood up and put some distance between them.

"Hidan…look. I wanted…to say…I'm sorry. For what I said and did. It wasn't right of me to do that." Hidan just looked at him, a bit wary, and he eyed Shikamaru's clenched fist. Shikamaru noticed this and opened his palm. Inside was Hidan's headband. He tossed it to the violet-eyed man.

"It fell off…earlier. And I wanted to give it back to you. You're not a bad person, only a damaged one. Everyone has their dark histories, and I shouldn't blame you for things that were out of your control. There aren't evil people in the world, only people who do evil things. Their motives for why vary, but after talking with Ino, I don't think you're evil. You've just done some bad things, and I need to learn how to forgive you. And to do that, I first need your forgiveness." Hidan looked at the shadow-user, completely confused. Shikamaru stepped forward, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that I buried you alive for eighteen years. The damage to your mind and soul is extensive, and some of that is because of my actions. So, from now on, I'm going to be a better person to you. You don't deserve the way I've treated you. So forgive me." Hidan looked at him, and nodded. Shikamaru smiled a little, and waved him over.

"Now come join us." Shikamaru walked away, and Hidan looked down at his headband. It was incredibly rusty, but somehow it was still in one piece. He rubbed the slash on it, remembering the day he took his blade through the symbol engraved on it. He didn't remember seeing it, because his eyes were too blurry from the tears of rage and pain he had been crying that day. He did remember that he was covered in blood from head to toe, both his own and that of others. Hidan slipped it over his neck, and walked to the outskirts of the campfire. He stood a good distance away, until Sai waved for him to come and sit. When he shook his head, Ino stood up and walked over to him. She gently coaxed him to sit with them, and once he was settled, she went and sat back down with her husband. Shikamaru looked at everyone, and smiled a little. He had finally figured it out.

"Tomorrow, we will be one step closer to finding them. They've been heading north, and they had no reason to turn east toward the Land of Water. That means the only direction they have left to run from us is toward the Land of Lightning. Tomorrow, we're going to stop and figure out if anyone has seen them." Hidan noticed many members of the group were nodding. They weren't happy, but at the same time, they weren't scared. They were ready. And Hidan felt ready to help them as best as he could. He didn't know where it came from, or how strong it was, but he felt a comradeship with them.

"Where are we headed, Shikamaru?" The head of the Nara clan looked his best friend in the eyes, and then at Hidan.

"The Hot Water Village. Hidan, you're headed home." And with that, the confident feeling disappeared. _What…the…fucking shit?!_

 **Hello everyone. How did you all enjoy the new chapter? We hope that it was good! Sorry for the delay, but we wanted to let you guys know that we are attempting to crank these out at some decent pace. Work with us, and please let us know if you like how the story is going or if there is something that you weren't that big of a fan of. Remember to review! It helps us help you! So enjoy, and take care everybody!**


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